


Trine

by ShaaraSeeker



Category: Transformers Generation One
Genre: Family, Fluff, M/M, Multi, Seekersmut, Sparks, Sticky, Trine Fluff, Violence, noncon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-11-07
Updated: 2015-07-25
Packaged: 2017-11-18 03:55:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 53,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/556619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShaaraSeeker/pseuds/ShaaraSeeker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What /does/ it mean to be a Seeker? This story looks into that, as well as my headcanon on Seeker-kin. Bits of history regarding the beginning of the war, as well as a look into the Command Trine and their hopes, dreams, and ambitions. Rated M for future chapters, and will contain slash. Read and review if you would!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A new plot bunny grabbed me, and this is the result. I am unsure as to how many chapters this is going to have, but I do hope you guys like it.
> 
> Warnings: Light slash, violence.
> 
> Pairings: None really, not yet.
> 
> Disclaimer: I only wish that I owned the Seekers...

The sonic boom shattered the air just a bit too late.

Skywarp felt it an instant before it hit- burning pain across his sensornet, lines cut and cauterized in the same instant by enemy laser fire. He let out a shriek on both the Seekers' commlink and the trine bond, his pain following along despite his attempt to stifle it. His wings would no longer support his weight, several large, leaking holes in the wide black panels, and he began to lose altitude at a shocking rate. He tried to access his warp gate and found that energon loss had taken that option away from him, and all went dark as he crashed into the side of the cliff, a smoking, ruined heap of metal.

A cheer rang on the Autobot side- it wasn't every day that one of the elite trine was grounded, much less taken /that/ completely out of the action. Thundercracker heard the ragged cry and a wave of anger clouded his processor- didn't they realize that Skywarp was one of those sentient beings that they professed freedom for?

The rules never had been the same if one wore a purple sigil, and they never would be.

The blue Seeker shot through the sky, following the trail of smoke and scorched metal, ignoring the questions from his allies. Starscream already knew why he'd broken formation, and had already given his approval whether Megatron liked it or not.

Trine first, faction second. It was never talked about but that's the way it was. Most didn't know, couldn't guess. They thought that Starscream only tolerated his wingmates for the sake of battle prowess. They didn't know that they were a bonded trine, closer than brothers, more than lovers. It was what they were, just as much a part of them as their wings and their optics and their sparks. The other Seekers knew it, but their loyalty to their Winglord superseded the loyalty to the Decepticons and even the loyalty to their commander.

There were so few Seekers left, after all, and those that remained were precious.

Thundercracker landed, his spark breaking at the image of his brother-mate-third lying in a pool of his own fluids, blissfully unconscious. He kept his expression carefully neutral, though, and moved to pick him up ever so gently, not wishing to exacerbate his injuries. Unconsciously, he chirred a dual-toned sound that was older than most of the mechs that fought in this world- it seemed to soothe the unconscious Seeker, and so Thundercracker repeated it.

The high-pitched whine of a laser rifle broke into his reverie, and that was the only warning he received before intense pain washed over his wings, the shot disconnecting motor relays and causing him to land on top of his already injured wingmate.

Sunstreaker grinned ferally and commed Prowl. /Two out of three ain't bad. I have two very injured Seekers at my position. They may even still be alive, though for how long, I couldn't say. Happy sparkday, Prowl./

/Spare me your flippancy. Guard the prisoners; I shall send transport as soon as possible. Prowl out./

Starscream felt the shot as it happened, and he let out a pained shriek, quickly stifled so that Megatron didn't realize exactly what had happened. It simply wouldn't do to have him suspect the extent of the trine bond; that mech would use anything and everything to gain leverage, even over his own people. The silver tyrant whipped his helm around to glare at his SIC, and Starscream returned the glare full-force, daring him to speak.

"What causes you to make more of those irritating sounds, Starscream?"

"Why, my Lord, I was merely making an audible observation on how much of a failure this plan has turned out to be. Why, if I led the Decepticons-"

Starscream was interrupted by a backhand slap to the face. That actually /helped/ the Seeker; it distracted him somewhat from his trinemates' pain and especially Thundercracker's anger. That didn't mean that he hated Megatron any less for it; Starscream loathed Megatron, and for more reasons than just the physical punishment.

Thundercracker was still conscious; Starscream could feel him. He sent a wordless pulse of reassurance, and it was answered with a pain-soaked wave of apprehension mixed with thanks.

/I'll get you out, somehow./ Starscream promised.

/Know that, Scree. Warp's bad off./ Thundercracker replied slowly.

/He's alive, Thunder. He'll be okay. Watch over him. Don't let them separate you./

/Won't if I can't help it. Love you. Can't talk anymore- hurts. Gonna rest./ Thundercracker's mental tone sounded strained.

/Stay awake, Thunder. Don't you leave me./

"Are you paying attention, Starscream, or shall I remind you that ignoring me has its price?" The unlovely tones of the Slagmaker broke into Starscream's conversation, and he sent Thundercracker another wave of comfort through their bond even as he scowled nastily at Megatron.

"I was /consulting/ with my aerial units, /Lord/ Megatron." The way that Starscream emphasized 'Lord" made it into an insult rather than a term of respect. "Thundercracker and Skywarp have been taken by the Autoscum."

Megatron glowered. "Useless. Elite trine. Elite screwups, perhaps. And your team at that, Starscream. What does that say about your leadership potential?" The glower twisted into a nasty little smile that made Starscream want to shove his null ray right up Megatron's aft and shoot a dozen times.

It /means/ that Thunder went to save our mate, you overbearing aftheaded glitch. Starscream thought spitefully. What he said was completely different. "I assume that those disgusting twins managed to get ahold of Skywarp and run him into a cliff again." His tone was properly disdainful. "My trinemate is an idiot. As for Thundercracker, he may have went looking for him. I don't /know/. I was stuck here instead of flying with my aerial team. That /is/ what my function is /supposed/ to be, though you mistake me for your punching bag." Starscream smirked at his commander.

Unsurprisingly, he received another clout upside his helm. "Idiot."

Starscream kept his vocaliser mute for the moment, trying to think of a way to rationalize dealing for his trinemates. Of course, he could wait until they repaired Skywarp- the Autobots were usually too soft-sparked to leave even an enemy unrepaired, and once Skywarp was functional, he could simply warp Thundercracker and himself out of their base.

That is, if his warp gate hadn't been damaged in the crash. That was always a worry, and Skywarp couldn't tell Starscream a thing yet. He was still unconscious.

\------------------------------------------

Thundercracker onlined in medbay just as Ratchet began cursing over his trinemate. He onlined his optics slowly, almost as if trying to hide it, but the berth he was on alerted the medic anyway. The red and white medbot glanced over at Thundercracker as if /daring/ him to get up and move, and TC shook his head slightly, indicating his acquiescence. Skywarp was obviously in stasis, optics dark, his infrastructure dinged and dented from the crash. It almost hurt the blue Seeker to look at him, but he wasn't willing to look away for too long, not when they were in enemy territory.

He'd tear the medic's /hands/ off if he tried to hurt Warp, and his gaze spoke the threat as eloquently as if he'd shouted it. Ratchet, of course, ignored it and continued working, his fingertips deftly repairing the large holes that pierced his trinemate's wings. The sparking and leaking had stopped, at least, and to Thundercracker's mostly untrained optics Skywarp even /looked/ a bit better than he had. He privately swore revenge on that damned yellow psychopath who'd backshot him- some Autobot to do /that/. His lip curled at the thought, and that's when his tanks began to rumble audibly.

Ratchet stopped what he was doing, wiped the fluids from his hands, and went to a dispenser that was embedded on the wall. Shortly thereafter, Thundercracker was handed a cube of shimmering energon.

"Medical-grade. You need it after the laser shot." Ratchet said gruffly, turning away to finish his work on Skywarp. Thundercracker gave the medic an inscrutable look before taking his first sip of the fuel. It was good, a lot better than they had most of the time on the Nemesis, and he allowed himself to enjoy the rich flavor, such a simple pleasure in the midst of the enemy base. He hoped that Skywarp would have a chance to have some of this as well- that he would be okay.

Their trine bond was wide open but distance attenuated Starscream's presence, only giving Thundercracker a very faint awareness of his trineleader's emotional state. He was agitated, but /that/ was nothing new, and in slight pain. Thundercracker frowned at that and did his best to send reassurance through the bond. It was likely that Megatron had blamed him for his trinemates' failure. It wouldn't be the first time, nor likely the last.

Sometimes his Supreme Commander was an idiot, Thundercracker reflected. On second thought, a /lot/ of the time he was an idiot. The only one who reliably stood up to Megatron was Starscream, though, and he certainly paid for it each time he did. There were as many rumors as to why Starscream continually challenged their leader as there were mechs on board, but the only ones who knew the truth were Starscream himself, Skywarp (who didn't usually care), and Thundercracker. The animosity went back further than most would expect, all the way back to the beginnings of the war. Back when Vos was its own nation, before it had been melted into slag by its enemies in a cowardly attack that had turned its beautiful spires into nothing more than dust and shattered memories of what once stood.

Thundercracker wondered, and not it wasn't the first time, if Megatron had had something to do with Vos' destruction. It had been no secret that he had wanted the Seekers to fight for him; the aerial support had tipped things in his favor, just as he'd expected. Starscream had repeatedly declined the alliance, citing many reasons, but the main one was that Starscream wanted Vos to remain neutral in this silly series of battles; most of the problems that plagued Cybertron were not an issue in Vos.

Megatron didn't understand this desire to stay out of it, and had attempted to court Starscream's favor, some said in more ways than one.

It wasn't until his city was reduced to nearly nothing, eighty percent of the population deactivated or dying, that he finally accepted Megatron's alliance. He wanted revenge on those who'd taken what he loved most from him. At the time, his trinemates had even agreed- Megatron's army was strong, and adding the aerial mastery of the Seekers could only make it stronger.

It quickly became apparent that Megatron had had no intention of keeping his agreement with Starscream to allow him putative control over the air force; he was Air Commander in name only. He hadn't counted on the Seekers' own culture, though, not understanding it or not caring to. They had sworn their allegiance to the Decepticons, yes, but their first loyalty was to their Winglord and their people. Megatron was /still/ unaware of this fact so many millions of years later, and that's the way the Seekers wanted it, even those as loyal as Skywarp was.

It was a testament to the solidarity of their kind that their little deception had continued to last this long.

Thundercracker stopped reflecting on the past, his cube surprisingly empty, to focus his gaze on Skywarp again. Ratchet was /good/; he supposed that was why the medic had a capture, not kill directive on him and had since the early days of conflict. Skywarp's wings were patched, the weld lines painted in nanite-rich sealant that would speed healing, and Ratchet had even begun to buff out the worst of the scratches. Thundercracker's gaze softened just a little.

"You do good work." he said, dispersing the cube Ratchet had given him with a simple gesture. Ratchet glanced up from Skywarp's left wing and merely grunted at the Seeker, turning back to his work before answering.

"You may be our enemies but I'll be slagged twice before I let you walk around in pieces." Ratchet said, not looking at the blue flier.

"That is a lot more than the Decepticons would do if the situation were reversed." Thundercracker replied.

Ratchet looked up and gave the Seeker a piercing stare. "Is there any reason why you refer to your faction in that way, instead of just saying 'we'?"

Thundercracker returned the look and allowed his lips to twist into an odd sort of smile. He stood, his joints creaking somewhat due to inactivity, and walked over to where the medic was still working on Skywarp. He put one hand on his trinemate's arm, squeezing it familiarly. Ratchet stilled, almost as if expecting an attack of some sort, yet relaxed a moment later. By his movements it was apparent that he was choosing to trust Thundercracker not to do anything stupid.

Of course, he had a wrench on standby just in case. Ratchet wasn't /stupid/, after all.

Thundercracker remained silent, just standing next to Skywarp, allowing his EM field to wrap around the injured flier. He couldn't tell if it was helping Skywarp, but he knew that it was helping him so he continued. Seekers needed physical contact, a fact that had been twisted to infer that Seekers had an interface drive that never stopped.

"He'll be ready to be moved in a couple joor." Ratchet told Thundercracker. "I'm sure they'll have a cell ready for you two." Thundercracker couldn't stop the scowl at that; enclosed spaces were /not/ his favorite things, and he hoped that Skywarp awakened beforehand so he didn't panic upon onlining in a small, square room with no view of the sky. Thundercracker gave Ratchet an unreadable look before speaking.

"If Skywarp onlines from stasis in an enclosed room, he is likely to panic."

"Not my choice, Seeker." Ratchet said. "In case you didn't notice, we're at war here, and we can't have you walking about as if you owned the base."

"It will be detrimental to his recovery."

"I'm aware of your kind's need for the sky." Ratchet said, almost seeming offended. "However, my medbay isn't equipped to hold prisoners for longer than it takes me to fix 'em, and I don't trust you two enough to let you stay."

"I offer you my word that we will not interfere with normal operations or attempt anything that would be construed as harmful." Thundercracker finally said, after considering it.

Ratchet laughed incredulously. "The word of a 'Con."

"No. The word of a Seeker." Thundercracker said.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I didn't think this would be quite as popular as it has been. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and favorited and followed so far; it's things like that that keep me writing.
> 
> Warnings: Nongraphic sticky interfacing, sparkmerging, Seeker fluff
> 
> Pairings: Starscream/Skywarp/Thundercracker
> 
> Still ain't mine. Unfortunately.
> 
> I love reviews. ^_^

Ratchet just stared at Thundercracker. His disbelief was plain on his faceplates, as was something else...was that speculation? Thundercracker wasn't sure. He simply met the Autobot medic's gaze, his hands open at his sides.

It was Ratchet who looked away first. "Only until he's online and stable, and you're getting locked in isolation five, in the back corner." He paused. "It has a large window with a clear view of the sky." He looked back down at Skywarp and began the tedious work of sealing the many stress fractures the impact had caused in the teleporter's frame.

"I thank you. Skywarp may not." the blue flier stated, putting his hands behind his back and standing at a respectful distance as he watched Ratchet repair his trinemate.

\------------------------------

Starscream tried very hard not to look as bored as he felt during the post-battle debriefing. He knew that a loss tended to make Megatron even more violent and erratic than usual, and Starscream was preoccupied with thoughts and worries regarding his trinemates as it was. He forced himself to pay attention /again/.

"Objective: incomplete." Soundwave droned. "Nemesis reserves: insufficient. Reduction in rations: necessary."

Megatron scowled at his TIC and swung his helm around to stare at Starscream. "Well? What's /your/ answer to our losses and lack of fuel? Surely /you/ have something to say!" The note in his raspy voice was dangerous, and Starscream recognized it for what it was. That still didn't stop his vocalizer from engaging before his processor caught up; it never did.

"Of /course/ I've something to say. This faction is /dying/ due to your overwhelming incompetence as a leader! Your obsession with Optimus Prime will be the death of us all!"

Onslaught winced behind his facemask and visor; did the Air Commander never learn?

Megatron turned on his second in command, optics blazing as if aflame. "And /you/ think that /you/ could do better? Without their precious Prime, the Autobots would fall apart! You can't even keep your own trine from getting captured; your leadership skills are as ridiculous as your voice! If I hear so much as another /sound/ from you, you'll wish it had been /you/ who'd been captured." The threat implicit in that dark growl was enough to make even Starscream think twice. He opened his mouth on reflex and then shut it just as quickly, scowling at his commander before turning on one heel-thruster and stalking off the command bridge.

How was he going to get Skywarp and Thundercracker back where they belonged? The trine bond was strained at this distance, but Starscream could still feel them. He tried to comm Thundercracker but got no response. Starscream frowned at that; the Autobots were apparently jamming their communications. It was standard protocol, but still, he didn't like not being able to speak to them. He could already start to feel that odd prickling feeling in his sensornet that meant that his trine was too far away from him.

Starscream had never reacted well to being apart from his trinemates. They at least still had each other, and he supposed that that was all well and good for /them/; he was stuck on the Nemesis. He pursed his lips and started thinking. Megatron wouldn't want the command trine out of commission for /too/ long; they /were/ the superior fliers onboard, and the Slagmaker certainly didn't want Autobot scientists having too long to study Skywarp's unique teleportation ability. It was unlikely that they'd be able to duplicate it, but they may figure out, as Starscream had, how to nullify it. That would put them at a significant tactical disadvantage.

Starscream's spark reached out toward his mates almost unconsciously, and he found that Skywarp was still unconscious, but Thundercracker seemed relatively content. He sent back an emotion indicating care/concern/love/trying and allowed himself a small smile. There was nothing that he could do for them immediately, and he chafed against that restriction. Starscream hated feeling powerless. He distracted himself with one of his most cherished memories- his trine-flight. They'd all been so young then, even Thundercracker who was their elder by at least ten vorn, and the war had yet to tear Cybertron apart. Vos was still its own nation, and life was so much simpler...

\----------------------------

"Today's the day, Screamer." Skywarp said happily, earning himself a sidelong glare from his trinemate-to-be at the hated nickname.

"You don't call me Screamer and I won't call you Warpy." Starscream said, though he was smiling.

"And neither of you are to call me /any/ silly names." Thundercracker added, straight-faced. It was hard to tell when the quiet Seeker was joking, though he /had/ opened up more than a bit thanks to Skywarp's irreverent nature.

"Don't worry, TeeCee." both Starscream and Skywarp said in unison, and all three of them broke into quiet laughter. They were excited and nervous, anticipatory and overjoyed. This was the cycle they'd planned for, and they were to affirm their bond and join together in front of most of Vos in a traditional trine-flight.

Not many bothered these days, but Starscream as the Winglord decided that he should set an example for his people. Skywarp had quickly agreed, but Thundercracker, being decidedly more privacy-oriented than the other two, had needed a bit of prodding. He'd finally agreed, though, and the date had been set. Starscream and Thundercracker had already been taught the forms and glyphs that were to be used; Skywarp, being of much lower caste, had required remedial training.

Neither Starscream nor Thundercracker cared about Skywarp's caste, and soon it would be a non-issue; once they trined, Thundercracker and Skywarp would be considered to be one rank below Starscream himself.

There was a crowd of Seekers poised to observe the flight, which was to be held in the skies directly over Vos. It would be a display of courtship, grace, and speed.

All too soon it was time for them to take to the skies, and the three Seekers stood in the middle of the city itself on a landing-pad, offering the first words that would begin the ceremony. It was both challenge and affirmation. By custom, it would be Starscream who spoke. They stood in the traditional triangular formation: Starscream at the apex, as designated lead, with Skywarp to his left, Thundercracker to his right. That was the only thing that might change during this flight; they would test themselves to decide who would be Second-in-flight and who would be Third.

Starscream spoke, and his words were amplified so that the city could hear him through the vidscreens that dotted the spires of Vos.

"I have made my choice." he stated simply, and sent the two the glyph for possession/want/claiming.

"Prove your claim." Thundercracker replied, swiftly echoed by Skywarp. All three Seekers' sparks spun quickly, the sync beginning even now. Starscream touched both fliers' wings gently, in blessing for a good, fair flight, and stepped back. That was the signal for them to take off, and take off they did.

There was a reason why Starscream had chosen these two particular Seekers, and it wasn't, as some said, that their coloring didn't clash with his. It was their skill in the air, their particular aerial dance, and their strengths that seemed to complement his own so well that had drawn him first to Skywarp, then to Thundercracker.

They took off in opposite directions, though their flightpath took them closer together as they soared high above the crysmetal spires. Their contrails wove an intricate pattern that was nearly a helix and Starscream leapt into the sky, in root-form as was traditional.

After all, one couldn't capture one's mates without arms to hold them.

His sensornet was attuned to the area as well as the two fliers who taunted him gently from between the rainbows. Starscream glanced around and caught a glimpse of Skywarp, so it was he whom he chased first. He poured on the speed, sending pulses through his EM field that could be interpreted as either desire or a need to conquer; in this flight, they were really one and the same.

Skywarp responded with a wave of playful lust; he was looking /forward/ to being claimed in front of the city. Starscream smirked and sent him a private comm: /Exhibitionist./

/You know it, Scree./ he replied smartly, and the chase was on. Through the towers they ducked and weaved, the light glinting off their plating. It made Starscream almost glow silvery, streaks of red and blue mingling with the blurred colors from his speed. Like the tail of a shooting star. Skywarp looked blacker than space, than night itself, edged with twilight purple that sparkled just like the crysmetal spire he whirled and danced around.

Skywarp had faith in his erratic patterns, but he neglected to recall something important: Starscream knew those patterns almost as well as he knew his own. Just as he swooped below the smaller tricolored Seeker to initiate a warp jump, he was surrounded by slim, strong arms, hot lips at his audial.

"Mine." Starscream said for all to hear, and it was then that Skywarp had to choose. To fight, or to accept Starscream's claim? The dark Seeker tensed for a moment, his frame literally poised for flight or flight, and Starscream bit down on Skywarp's neck rather hard, purring through his vents in tones that were as old as their kind.

Skywarp's resolve crumbled and he moaned aloud, frame arching into Starscream's as he responded with a trill of his own, this indicating willing submission, a desire to /belong/ to a whole that would be greater than himself.

"I choose you freely, Skywarp of the Spire, and will protect you under my wings and within my spark until the end of our days." Starscream said, and his frame echoed the sentiment, hands holding tightly to Skywarp as they flew in tandem.

"I choose you freely, Winglord Starscream, and will follow you with all that I am, my spark bound to yours, beside you and with you until the end of our days." Skywarp responded, his vocalizer stumbling a bit over the unfamiliar Old Vos words.

Starscream grinned, a genuine grin that lit his face from the inside out. It wasn't a side many saw of the young Winglord of Vos, and the audience below them nearly sighed, some recalling their own trine flights, others wishing that they'd had the bearings to do it themselves.

"Come, let us catch our third." Star offered Skywarp his hand, and the black and violet Seeker bowed over it in midair. They both took off in search of the elder Seeker, working together to capture him, to bring him into their binary and make of it a trine.

It didn't take long for them to find Thundercracker his coloring didn't blend well with the surroundings, and he was a bit larger and more heavily armored than most Seekers. Still, he flew almost insanely fast considering the weight of his plating, and it took them both to block him into a corner. The larger Seeker gave them both a look that told them he wasn't going to give in as easily as Skywarp had, and Thundercracker began to gather power for a minor blast of sonics that would unbalance the two Seekers just long enough for him to get away and prolong the chase.

He hadn't counted on Skywarp's speed, though, and as he released the blast, Skywarp grabbed Starscream and they disappeared, reappearing behind the blue Seeker just in time for each of them to grab one arm, twin grins on their faces.

"You belong to us now." Starscream said, and Thundercracker growled in mock-rejection, his EM field demanding that they prove it, that they earn his favor before making such audacious claims.

This could be done with a fight, or they could seduce him. Either way was traditional, it merely depended on the ones involved and their personal tastes. It wasn't like they'd never interfaced before, but Starscream wasn't altogether certain that Thundercracker would appreciate being 'faced senseless in front of the greater majority of Vos. Still, he /had/ agreed to this, knowing what could happen...

Starscream and Skywarp shared a glance for a split nanoklik before sliding in close, their lips working in tandem over Thundercracker's wings. The larger Seeker stifled a groan; this was /definitely/ unfair, so he decided to fight back.

Instead of using his sonics to damage, he sent vibrations through his frame, which carried into the plating of the two fliers who were pressed close to him. Starscream actually cried out; Skywarp merely laughed delightedly and nipped at the edge of the wing he was worshipping. That caused Thundercracker to briefly lose control of the sonic energy, and it stopped, allowing Starscream time enough to recover and begin staking his claim rather more thoroughly than before.

They rose higher and higher into the sky, making sure to gain enough altitude so that when they joined bodies as well as sparks, they'd have plenty of time to finish before coming close to the ground. Starscream ended up in the center, Thundercracker having given in to his prospective trinemates' caresses, and to those on the ground they were almost nothing more than small specks in the sky, sailing on a warm air current that would keep them aloft for some time indeed.

Their touches were heated and precise, designed to inflame both frame and spark; Skywarp wrapped his legs around Starscream's waist even as Thundercracker slid into him from behind, his low voice murmuring words of acceptance and lust. As they joined together, Starscream spoke, albeit in a very shaky voice.

"Thundercracker, my Second, Skywarp, my Third my life is yours as well as yours is my own. I will take of you freely and give of myself until that day when we are called to the Well."

"I will be your Second and guard your Third; my spark is yours as well as yours is my own. I will take of you freely and give of myself until that day when we are called to the Well." Thundercracker whispered, nipping at Starscream's audial.

"I will be your Third and support you both; my spark is yours as well as yours is my own. I will take of you freely and give of myself until that day when we are called to the Well." Skywarp said, his voice strong despite the tremors that wracked his form.

"Be one with me." Starscream breathed, and as they fell, entwined, their cockpit glass shifted to reveal their sparks, the bond beginning to form even now.

\------------------------------

Starscream shook his head. The memory had helped him to feel closer to his trinemates, and he hoped that they had caught it and drawn some comfort from it as well. He picked up a datapad and began to outline a retrieval plan, just in case Skywarp really was too injured to warp them both out soon enough.

\------------------------------

Ratchet wheeled Skywarp into the promised isolation room, which was well lit by the window as well as the lights that seemed to be omnipresent in medical facilities.

"Do you require anything?" the medic asked Thundercracker.

"No. You have been kinder than required." the Seeker admitted, sitting down on the berth that took up the far left wall.

"There's a call button on the wall there. I will bring you energon at the beginning of offcycle; if Skywarp regains consciousness before then, please let me know." Ratchet gave Thundercracker a Look. "And if he gives me any trouble, to the brig you go. I /don't/ have to do this, you know."

Thundercracker frowned sourly. "Yes, yes, I know. We will be on our best behavior."

"You better be." Ratchet said, though he had a thoughtful look on his face as he locked the door.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a bit shorter than they have been, but any update is better than no update, I think. Next chapter shall have more goodies within, with more plotty goodness as well.
> 
> Thanks again to all who read, review, follow, and favorite this and my other fics. Y'all rock!
> 
> Warnings for Ch 3: Slashy overtones, mentions of violence
> 
> Pairings: The trine?
> 
> Still isn't mine, but three Seekers would be my best Xmas gift ever!

Thundercracker was grateful for the window. It let him know that he wasn't completely trapped, that there /was/ indeed an outside world not very far away from him. He glanced over at Skywarp and his expression brightened; he could sense that Warp was trying to come out of stasis. The blue Seeker stood and walked to Skywarp's berthside, taking Warp's left hand in his own.

"Sky? Skywarp. Speak to me, if you can." Thundercracker's tone was low and soothing; he knew he'd have to explain their predicament to him as he likely remembered little about their capture.

"Mmmmmmph frag TC my /processor/ hurts..." Skywarp almost squeaked, his optics firmly offline. "Turn /off/ those lights, Hook's a fragging sadist to have me online to that..."

Thundercracker didn't have access to the lighting. He had access to almost nothing, in fact, but what was he to expect in the Autobot base?

"Warp, you're not on the Nemesis." he explained.

"'s Stars?" Skywarp demanded. "Far away..."

"He /is/ on the Nemesis." TC paused. "I /think/ he's on the Nemesis, anyway. We're captured, Sky."

Skywarp's helm dropped backward with an audible 'thunk' and he swore softly and fluently under his breath. "Can't warp, TC. Parallel processing that finds coordinates is fragged up an' the only one who c'n fix it is..."

"Starscream." both seekers said in unison.

Skywarp whimpered. "We're in the brig, aren't we." He began to shiver just slightly, and that's when TC laid his hand back on Skywarp's arm.

"No. I...asked the medic to keep us in a room with a window. For you." he admitted, and Skywarp onlined his optics. "You did that for me." he stated, wincing in pain. He immediately found the window and the shivering stopped.

"Of course I did." Thundercracker sounded surprised that Skywarp would even ask, but Warp had never been the most introspective or unselfish Seeker around.

"Don't know if I'd've thought to do that for you or Scree." Skywarp said almost sadly. "But...thanks, TeeCee. Otherwise I'd've freaked out and then you'd have had to sit on me or something-"

Skywarp was interrupted by the door opening. Ratchet strode inside, his expression impassive.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, and Skywarp frowned. "What do /you/ care, was your guys who slagged me!"

"It wasn't /me/ who slagged you; if it had been, you'd know it." Ratchet countered. "Now answer the question."

Skywarp made a face. "Hurts. The lights are bright, I'm locked up, I'm missing my trinemate, and I'm hungry. Also, the walls are really ugly, the slag do you all like this /orange/ for..." He trailed off, noting Ratchet's aggravated expression.

"If it weren't for my intervention you would be in the brig right now. Your trinemate swore his good behavior; if you don't immediately do the same I will personally take you to the brig." Ratchet said.

Skywarp scowled but he glanced at Thundercracker, then the window, then his trinemate again and finally nodded. "Fine, I'll be good. Not like I have a choice anyway." He wasn't going to mention that he couldn't teleport.

"Then you may remain here for a short while longer." Ratchet idly strode to the medberth and began scanning Skywarp, offering him a small chip that contained a mild painkiller for his aches. Skywarp took it without thanking the medic, and once more Thundercracker felt obligated to do so for Skywarp.

That was part of their trine bond as well; they shored up each others' weaknesses in more ways than just flight. Skywarp tended to be selfish and thoughtless and rather ignorant of consequences; Starscream had more temper than sense. Thundercracker was far calmer than either, but he would often refuse to stand up for himself. The support they offered each other was almost unconscious, it was so ingrained within them. It was almost like programming.

Starscream could finally feel Skywarp again, and that offered the Air Commander some small amount of relief. That feeling disappeared as soon as Skywarp made it clear that he wouldn't be teleporting anywhere until his parallel processing unit was repaired. Starscream knew he couldn't talk Thundercracker through it using their link, either; the repair was too complex.

Frag.

Starscream paced within their too-empty quarters, trying desperately not to think about his trinemates' predicament. That was damned difficult to do when they weren't here. He missed them terribly already. Starscream knew that he had to get it out here in the privacy of his quarters, because showing too much emotion regarding the safety of his trine would draw far too much suspicion upon them.

Stifling emotion was /not/ something Starscream was good at; he usually fared better if he substituted one emotion for another. He sighed in resignation- he'd likely have to get angry to hide it, and getting angry likely meant provoking Megatron...and provoking Megatron meant yet another trip to medbay.

At least Thundercracker wasn't here to /look/ at him if he /did/ get himself slagged, though right now Starscream would have given quite a bit to see that long-suffering gaze and hear the soft sigh.

/Double/ frag.

The SIC flopped down on their berth, his wingtips shivering. He looked around at the various items that told the story of who lived here- Thundercracker's wall murals, Skywarp's stuffed Seeker toy that he'd somehow kept from sparklinghood. Starscream's own crystal collection, the minerals of a hundred worlds catching the light and throwing it back against the mirrored display unit he'd fashioned for them.

Skywarp had just given him the clear one an orn ago. Starscream walked over to it and grasped it in his hand, optics offlining for a few moments.

/Warp, please be okay. Or I'll kick your aft myself./

Ratchet finished the scan and smirked at the black Seeker. "Well, I did a good job as usual; you'll be able to fly again /without/ tearing yourself apart in a few days or so."

Skywarp reflexively made a face. "That's...not reassuring." he said uneasily. Thundercracker merely arched an optic ridge and waited for Ratchet to explain further.

"The stress fractures are almost completely healed, restoring your structural integrity to its normal levels. Your wing's patched and it'll hold providing you /don't/ try and break Mach Three anytime soon." Ratchet then gave them both an odd look. "And the malnutrition is nearly resolved. What are they /feeding/ you over there?"

"Energon, of course." Thundercracker said mildly. "Of the best quality we can obtain." That was a lie; only the officers received high grade, and that was a luxury that could and was quickly rescinded for actual or perceived failures. Shockwave was sent the majority of the fuel the Decepticons were able to refine or steal. The troops on the Nemesis made do, except of course for Megatron and his favorites. They, TC was certain, lacked for nothing. Sometimes Skywarp used his ability to get extra fuel for himself and his trine, but the penalty for getting caught stealing energon was death.

"Skywarp's fuel tanks are filled with some odd organic /sludge/." Skywarp looked horrified, almost screeching at that little revelation.

"Oh that is fragging gross, get it OUT of me!" he begged the medic. Even Thundercracker had to shiver at that; he wondered if he too had the same problem? Ratchet was, as usual, one step ahead of them all.

"If you allow me to scan you, Thundercracker, I can determine if you too need treatment."

"Why do you even care?" the blue flier asked, optics serious.

"I'm a medic." Ratchet explained. "Yes, you're a 'Con, but my oaths as a medic supersede faction, at least when it comes to the health of a patient. I don't let people suffer. That's why you two flitterglitches are in /here/ instead of in jail." The red and white 'Bot pointed at the berth Skywarp was occupying. "Swap places, you two."

Skywarp scooted off the examination berth and Thundercracker sat gingerly upon it, /really/ not liking the idea of some organic residue clogging up his fuel systems. Not only was that absolutely disgusting, it was potentially dangerous as well; what if debris wedged itself in a fuel line, interrupting the flow at a critical moment? Warp stood next to Thundercracker until Ratchet snapped for him to get the frag out of his light so he could /see/ already; after that, Skywarp moved behind his trinemate, looking concerned.

"Just as I thought...you have it too. I'm going to have to synthesize a solvent that you'll drink to get rid of this, you realize. Or else slap you into stasis and do it that way." Thundercracker shook his head immediately at that-stasis, even medical stasis, was /not/ a sensation he enjoyed. He always woke disoriented and feeling vaguely ill afterward.

"We will drink your solvent." TC said, glancing at Skywarp to forestall any complaints.

"Good thing I have you two here already, then. I'd like to keep you for observation." Ratchet gave no impression of his kindness but somehow Thundercracker /knew/ that that was an element here.

That, Skywarp /did/ understand and he grinned. "Thanks, doc-bot." Ratchet snorted and left the two fliers in their isolation room, leaving without another word.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Agh, sorry for the delay in updating; I've been having some medical issues that have made it hard for me to sit upright long enough to type out a chapter. Rest assured that I haven't forgotten about this story; it's been on my mind. Thanks again for the reviews and favorites!
> 
> Warnings for this chapter- slashy overtones, as usual
> 
> /: = bond talk
> 
> / = comm
> 
> The Skywarp eating explosives mention is courtesy of Dogstar, whose Skywarp kept his explosive in the same container as his rust sticks. Hilarity ensued. :D

Starscream didn't expect the ping at his door in the least. Most of the Nemesis' crew avoided him for various reasons; it wasn't like Starscream was the best liked mech on board.

The Air Commander stopped his pacing and eyed the door, not sure if he wanted company or not. No, that was a lie; he /did/ want company. But his trine wasn't /here/. He finally allowed the door to open without really checking to see who was invading his personal space.

He stared in disbelief when he saw the entire Conehead trine at his door, heads bowed in respect.

"Winglord." Dirge said, speaking for his trine. "Might we come in?"

Starscream nodded uncertainly, confused as to why they'd come /here/. Yes, they were as loyal to him as all the Seekers onboard were, but Starscream had never been kind to them. He'd been the exact opposite at times, as a matter of fact.

Plus, they'd used the title that mattered more to him than any word that Megatron could attach to his designation.

The door closed behind them, and Starscream sat down. "Why are you even /here/?" he asked, his tone somewhere between confused and bluntly rude.

Dirge steeled himself, glancing at Ramjet and Thrust before speaking. "To...to offer you comfort in the absence of your trinemates." he said very softly, as if audials were listening everywhere. Generally speaking, there /were/, but not in Starscream's quarters. He swept the place regularly for bugs, as he didn't really need Soundwave spying on his every action, especially in his own personal space.

What Dirge offered was weakness, weakness that could well be terminal in the Decepticon army. Starscream even opened his mouth to tell him so, but the words stuck themselves firmly in his vocalizer, refusing to come out. It was weakness to be certain, but it was also traditional.

Starscream had worked so hard to maintain what traditions he could, even here.

The Coneheads watched their Winglord intently, waiting for his answer. They expected rejection, had even steeled themselves for it because of the volatile nature of their Air Commander.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The stuff bubbled and fizzed as if it were possessed by some spirit from the Pit, and it smelled absolutely terrible. Skywarp stared at the container of solvent as it if were deadly poison.

"TeeCee, I /really/ don't want to drink that." he said faintly, feeling his tanks twist sickly.

"Neither do I, but it /is/ the most efficient way of getting rid of the buildup. Remember, Warp, organic sludge?" Thundercracker said, his wings hiked high in distress.

"Ugh." Skywarp stated flatly.

Ratchet just watched the two, torn between sighing in frustration and force-feeding the two 'Cons the solution. "I don't care if you drink it or not; I'm doing this as a favor. But don't insult my work." he said mildly.

"Couldn't you make it taste /good/?" Skywarp virtually whined.

"Sure, but that'd take half /my/ fun out of it. Medicine's supposed to taste like slag; that way, you don't get tempted to get sick again." Ratchet said with a smirk. So much for big bad Decepticons; Ratchet though that Skywarp acted more like a sparkling than a sparkless killer. Thundercracker... Ratchet wasn't sure what to make of him yet. He was quiet, almost /too/ quiet, and seemed to give his words a lot of thought before using them. That set him far, far apart from the rest of his trine, Ratchet decided.

The two Seekers looked at each other for a long moment before Thundercracker picked up the container. "Both of us at once." he told Skywarp, who nodded miserably.

They both downed the concoction, wings shivering at the horrible taste. Skywarp finished his first and cried out. "Oh Primus above me that was the most terrible thing I have /ever/ put into my mouth, up to and including the time I accidentally ate that explosive!"

Thundercracker nodded his agreement. "Not that I have ever consumed explosives, but Ratchet, that was disgusting. We appreciate it, but it was disgusting."

"You're welcome." Ratchet said with a mock-frown. He gave the two an intense look. "When will you require flight?" he asked softly. Thundercracker's head jerked up and he stared at the medic in shock.

"Why would you care?" he asked.

"Sky-hunger is a recognized condition, and I /don't/ have the patience to put up with two sky-craving Seekers, prisoners or not." Ratchet snapped.

"Always need the sky." Skywarp said. "But how could you trust us not to fly away? None of you can catch us in the air."

"I don't know that I can." Ratchet admitted. "But I'd like to think that at least one of you has honor."

"We both do." Skywarp said, optics flaring at the insult. "Just cause it's not the kind you agree with, it doesn't mean it doesn't exist!" Thundercracker bristled as well at the implied insult to Skywarp. "But slaggit, we're /prisoners of war/, and I don't even know what you guys plan on /doing/ with us; do ya blame me for thinking of escaping?" Skywarp demanded to know, his ruby optics alight with emotion. "For all I know you're gonna take us out back of the ship and deactivate us, just to send our wings back to Stars!"

Ratchet gave Skywarp an odd look at the nickname for the irascible Air Commander. "Autobots don't mistreat prisoners, or haven't you figured that out already?" Ratchet said, his own optics flashing back with just as much heat. "Megatron will probably be calling Prime to deal for you two soon enough, and then you'll be /somebot else's/ helmache!"

x-x-x-x-x-x-

Starscream wanted to tell them to get the slag out of his quarters. He didn't particularly care for any of the three, and he was pretty sure that the feeling was mutual.

If that was the case, though, why had they offered this? Starscream didn't know, and there was almost nothing he hated more than to not know a thing- it was far worse when he knew that he /couldn't/ know, not for certain.

The traditional response came from his lips before he realized what he was saying. "I accept your offer, and appreciate your sensitivity to me in my time of need." His words were just as quiet as the offer had been, and the Coneheads looked at their Winglord in shock. None of them had actually expected him to take them up on their offer, and now they weren't sure what they were going to do now that they had permission.

/:Winglord or no Winglord, I am /not/ 'facing the Screamer.:/ Ramjet said along their trine bond, and he could feel the others' sparkfelt agreement.

/:We'll just lie with him.:/ Dirge said. /:Sounds like a plan:/ added Thrust, and they turned almost as one to the lone Seeker.

"If you get on the berth-" Dirge stared to say, and Starscream immediately cut him off.

"I am /not/ going to-"

Ramjet actually interrupted their Air Commander. "Sir, it's not what you're thinking."

"Go on." Starscream said, scowling.

"We'll just lay near you." Dirge finished awkwardly, and Starscream inwardly kicked himself. Of course they wouldn't share their bond with him- that was only for /very/ close relationships, and Starscream wasn't that close with anyone but Skywarp and Thundercracker. He certainly wouldn't allow any of his subordinates access to his spark.

"Fine." Starscream hadn't recharged well since his trinemates had been captured; it was beginning to take its toll on his systems. He was willing to try just about anything at this point, and he supposed that snuggling with the Coneheads was pretty damned drastic. He lay himself in the center of the berth, which was actually three berths lashed together at the legs and covered with an extra-large berth pad. There'd be room for four, though it might get a bit cozy.

That was ultimately the point, though, and Starscream offlined his optics as Dirge, Ramjet, and Thrust settled themselves around their Winglord. If Starscream didn't think too hard, he could almost pretend that it was /his/ mates who surrounded him, that it was /their/ systems that rumbled and purred next to his own.

That was the last thought he had before he drifted off, feeling a lot better than he had just moments before.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's your update, folks! Thanks a ton to all my reviewers and readers; it's the reviews that keep me writing. This fic is sort of slow in the buildup, but I have my general outline in my head...things /will/ speed up eventually. Unless the characters run away with it again...that happens so often, damn muses...
> 
> Warnings for this chapter: Some violence, and implicationy things
> 
> Pairings: the usual
> 
> Still ain't mine!

Starscream onlined alone, but that was just fine with him- it had been awkward enough /having/ the Coneheads in his personal quarters to begin with. He certainly didn't need the additional awkwardness that would have followed actually onlining while entwined with the other trine. He sighed, poking among his bond- his trinemates were both still in recharge.

Starscream had always been one to online earlier than they did, anyway. He sighed and prepared for his day, turning on the cold solvent in the trine's personal 'racks. He'd hoped for hot water, but not this day- nothing nonessential /ever/ worked right in this underwater tin can. Shivering and cursing the fact that there was no one to scrub his wings for him, he exited the racks and headed to the bridge, hoping that his oh so glorious leader had decided that it was time to deal for his trinemates at last.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Thundercracker awoke to the sound of Skywarp purging into a waste container. In between the wrenching sounds, several creative curses came through.

"Wretched frelling fragging piece of rust-ridden scrap metal...ugh, this has to be torture..." Warp moaned, on his knees and shivering weakly.

Ratchet peered through the door, brought by the noise. "Well, how else did you expect to get it out, magic?"

"Oh frag you Ratch-" Skywarp groaned, and the medic just laughed. The purple and black Seeker dragged himself to the berth that he and Thundercracker had been sharing, and just in time, too- TC took Skywarp's place, his optics flickering in distress.

"Oh, don't be such a sparkling about it. That should take care of it." the medic said, a slightly gleeful look on his faceplates. Thundercracker glared up, calculating exactly how long it would take to literally wipe that look off of Ratchet's face, but there was no real malice in it. He understood why...it was the how that royally sucked aft, to borrow one of his wingmate's phrases.

"/You/ try purging up your entire inner workings and see how you feel." Skywarp stated, already beginning to feel a bit better...as long as he didn't move his head at all.

"/I/ don't consume energon that must taste like dead slag." Ratchet replied.

"Like we have a choice!" Thundercracker said, eyeing the medic. He too slid back onto the berth, staring at the red and white mech warily.

"There are /always/ choices, Thundercracker." Ratchet said calmly, and it was evident that he meant far more than it seemed on the surface. Skywarp screwed his face up into a frown, but Thundercracker understood completely.

"Sometimes there really are not, Ratchet...and sometimes, just sometimes, it is better to face the demon you know rather than the one who is unfamiliar to you." The blue Seeker then turned his face away, unwilling to continue that line of thought.

Ratchet gave Thundercracker a piercing look and slowly nodded. "And sometimes, Thundercracker...one isn't given the opportunity to know what's best for him for whatever reason."

Skywarp snorted and turned gingerly onto his side, wings dangling off the side of the berth. TC grunted noncommittally. The medic couldn't know how it was for them, so how dare he speak like he did?

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

It couldn't be called anything less than a throne. It sat in the center of the bridge, positioned just where its occupant could see everything that went on in the room at a glance. As Starscream strode through the sliding doors, it was occupied by his Lord Commander, who glared at Starscream as if he'd interrupted something vitally important.

Starscream ignored him and sat at his customary position to run the usual scans, his wings held high in a combination of concern and affront. That was normal when faced with being alone with Megatron. No one but them was on the bridge at this early joor- local time put it at near five A.M., and even Soundwave was comfortably in recharge, likely surrounded by his cassettes.

Megatron tapped his fingertips on the arm of the throne, almost as if considering something. Finally, he spoke.

"Your glitched-up wingmates are /still/ the honored guests of the Autobots, Starscream. Why is that, do you think?" he asked, the rasp in his voice irritating Starscream's last nerve fiber.

"Likely because they haven't been released? How should /I/ know, oh Mighty Megatron?" he snapped back, wings quivering now.

"The teleporter should have gotten them out long ago." Megatron said, optics flashing dangerously. "Or perhaps they're enjoying their stay a bit too much?"

"Oh, don't be an even bigger fool than usual." Starscream said, whirling in his seat. "Skywarp's the most loyal mech you have, and if you don't realize that, you're an even bigger idiot than even /I/ thought." Once more, emotion made his vocalizer engage before his processor could stop him, and Megatron virtually flew from his throne to backhand his SIC out of his chair.

Starscream landed in a heap, thankful yet again that long experience had taught him how to fall without seriously injuring himself. It had hurt, of course, but nothing was actually damaged.

Yet.

The whining pleas came to his lips for what felt like the millionth time...but he stopped himself, just this once. He looked up at his commander with hate in his optics.

"What /would/ it be worth to you to get them back, hm?" Megatron asked, almost /purring/. Starscream shuddered inwardly and spat, "What in the Seven Pits of Kaon are you on about?"

"Do I need to repeat myself?" Megatron said dangerously.

"N-no, I heard you, my Lord." Starscream said. He knew that tone. That tone often meant bent wings and dented faceplates and broken glass, and he wanted none of it. What he wanted was his trine, back here with him, safe on the Nemesis...as safe as one could be on the base of a madmech. He /didn't/ want Megatron to know exactly how much the other two Seekers meant to him, though. That would give his commander far too much leverage over him. The Air Commander thought furiously as he stared up.

"Of course I need them back, I refuse to fly alongside any of the other relics that grace these hallowed halls." Starscream decided to play upon his trine's strengths- they /were/ the most skilled fliers in the faction and he knew it. So did Megatron. "If you want your air force intact, you'll deal for them. Or else allow their science team to access Skywarp's warp gate, and Thundercracker's sonics."

Megatron actually paused before sneering down at the Seeker. "I could just replace you. Take care of several annoyances at once. One treacherous Air Commander, and idiot, and a traitor in the makings."

"Thundercracker's no traitor!" Starscream shot back. He didn't really think he could plausibly deny the barb at Skywarp's processing power. Warp wasn't stupid- nobody stupid could calculate so many vectors at once. He was just easily distracted and generally thinking about far too many things at once to focus on one thing.

Megatron had no hard proof of Thundercracker's treachery- he'd never done anything, never even /said/ anything. Megatron just had an odd feeling about the too-silent Seeker, and because of that, he distrusted and disliked him.

"No, /you're/ the treacherous one." Megatron said, and Starscream just glared. The warlord kicked out at Starscream, who rolled away from the blow, fouling a wingtip in the process. He hissed in pain, and Megatron laughed.

"So, I repeat...what is it worth to you for me to actually deal with Prime to retrieve them?"

"Enough." Starscream said, rising from the floor.

"Excellent." Megatron said, and Starscream felt cold inside. He supressed the feeling before it could travel along his bond- he didn't need his trinemates worrying about why he was feeling that way.

"Meet me in my personal quarters in two joor." Megatron ordered, and Starscream's wings suddenly stiffened. He knew he'd better not disobey this command. "As you will, my Lord." he said tonelessly.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"How are we gonna get out of here, TC?" Skywarp asked, his face buried between his trinemate's wings. He had spent quite a bit of time staring out the window, but that just barely reduced the deep-seated itch he felt inside. Skywarp needed the sky- he needed to feel the wind on his wings, in his face...and he wasn't going to get it, Ratchet's words notwithstanding.

"I...am not sure." Thundercracker didn't like to admit that, but he wasn't going to lie to Skywarp, either. He, too, felt the urge to take flight, but being older, he was better at stifling the impulses. At least their door was closed and relatively secure. They could speak without too much worry in here, and the Autobots didn't consider being close a weakness.

No, they counted it as a strength. Sometimes, Thundercracker thought that they just might be right.

The elder Seeker turned to face his trinemate, reaching out to pet dark wings. "We'll figure it out, somehow...or Megatron will arrange for our release." He wasn't so sure about that; it really depended on his mood. He was likely upset at the battle's loss, not to mention their 'Cons failure to gather enough fuel...and he was also likely torqued at the loss of two of his Elite Trine as well. Thundercracker winced, knowing that they'd likely be facing some sort of punishment once they returned.

He vowed not to allow Starscream to take the brunt of it again. He did that too often. He claimed it was his duty as leader of their trine, but Thundercracker didn't like that fact. He was larger and better-armored than Starscream; he felt that he could take the physical chastisements better, but Star never allowed it.

Skywarp could feel the ambivalence and distress through their link, and he began stroking along Thundercracker's side seams to distract him. Thundercracker snuggled closer, but he moved Skywarp's hands so that they were wrapped around his shoulders.

Skywarp only frowned for a moment. "Not now, huh?" he said, teasing. Thundercracker nodded.

"Star is feeling rather odd at the moment..." the blue Seeker said.

"Yeah, but he's shutting us off, sort of." Warp said, frowning deeper. "I hope he's all right."

There was a razor's edge of dread mixed with determination coming through the faint link. Both of the Seekers on the Ark tried to send comfort to their trineleader, but Starscream was a master at dampening certain emotions from their trine bond. He didn't want to distress them any more than they already were.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Starscream sighed and checked his chrono. He had to get going...he had an appointment that he'd give his left null ray to miss.

Sending one last pulse of care/concern/determination to his trinemates, Starscream narrowed their bond to the thinnest thread he could before rising to meet with Megatron.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I got stuck a bit on this one, and was discussing it with my spark-sister Katea-Nui. We got into an odd mood and began RPing something that we called an AU to Trine...and somehow, some way it began to /fit/ into the story by leaps and bounds. So, this is not only a long chapter, it contains a bunch of Trine canon as well as insights on one particular Seeker's motives and feelings.  
> .
> 
> Shout-out to Katea-Nui, of course, who puts such interesting life into Ratchet.
> 
> Pairings for this chapter: Thundercracker/Ratchet; Starscream/? (Don't wish to spoil the story)
> 
> Warning: *****NONCON WARNING*****. It's not graphic, it's not glorified, but it's there, and if that's a trigger for you then I strongly suggest that you do not read the last bit starting with Starscream's arrival to Megatron's quarters.
> 
> Other warnings: Slash, sticky interfacing, dirty talk, crossfaction, and talk of interface as a 'gift'
> 
> Disclaimer: If this were mine, Transformers would be rated R and would not contain Tracks.

Ratchet set his tools down with a deep sigh that seemed to fill the empty bay. Well, empty aside for the private room set aside for their... guests. Who were now almost completely better. The medic rolled his shoulders, giving himself a mental pat on the back. He'd handled them well, in spite of knowing little about their general anatomy. He had notes now, but most of it had been guesswork and he disliked working off that immensely, but there had been no helping it.

He'd guessed right. That was the important part. He rubbed his neck and flexed his digits before turning to the task of cleaning the cycle's tools. After that he could retreat to his office and maybe FINALLY get some damned paperwork done.

He'd never been so glad to see the black and purple Seeker finally, finally, /finally/ drop into recharge. Skywarp was beyond restless, the need for the sky bothering him far more than it did Thundercracker.

Then again, TC /was/ older and had far better impulse control. Still, he felt odd...like his plating was itching, and he wanted nothing more than to dig his claws underneath it to cool the uncomfortable sensations.

TC exited the isolation room and glanced around the lurid orange medbay. Hm, where had Ratchet gone? TC knew he rarely strayed too far from the wards, just in case...and TC wanted to to talk to him. To talk and to make his offer without the distracting influence of Skywarp.

Ratchet stood in the back of the medical bay, at the large basin sink used to clean and sterilize tools. He was working on one of his bladed scalpels, the laser ones needing a different sort of maintenance than simple cleaning. He hummed to himself, an old song that he remembered his carrier humming all the time.

He heard water running, and Thundercracker tilted his helm, listening intently. Ah. Ratchet was at the back of the elongated room. He made his way over there, moving far more quietly than one might expect by looking at him and schooled his expression to look somewhat neutral and impassive. This wasn't about emotion...well, it /was/, in a way, but in yet another way it wasn't.

"Apologies for interrupting you." TC said softly. He didn't mention to the irascible medic that he was humming slightly off-key.

Ratchet startled, fumbling with the tool in his servo and barely avoiding catching the thing by it's blade. He scowled, turning to glower slightly at the seeker. "Warn a mech next time. Especially one with sharp implements that can easily take out an optic!" He waved the scalpel under the seeker's nose for emphasis before rinsing it and setting it aside to dry. "What did you need, Thundercracker?"

Thundercracker forced himself not to flinch at the scalpel being so casually waved in front of his nasal ridge, but he could see that Ratchet's movements were controlled despite the outward appearance. "Again, apologies. I was unaware that you were handling your tools." The Seeker glanced down at Ratchet's hand to make sure he hadn't cut himself; the blades on those things were beyond wickedly sharp. They had to be, to cut through metal and fiber optics and various other materials.

"I just wish to speak with you, that's all."

"Ah." Ratchet made a sound of acknowledgement before deciding to deal with the rest of the tools afterwards, leaving them soaking and shutting off the water. He moved to dry his hands, leaning against the counter. "I'm listening. What's on your processor?"

Now came the hard part. How did one explain a rather archaic Seeker custom to a groundpounder, albeit one that Thundercracker respected almost as if he flew? He decided to start slowly. "We owe you a great deal, Ratchet." he said simply, spreading his hands out in front of him. "And for this, I offer you service in return."

Ratchet raised an optic ridge, frowning slightly. "You don't owe me anything, TC." He snorted, setting the drying cloth down. "I'm a medic. I did my job. Pretty damned well, if you ask me."

"But I do. It's customary." Thundercracker said patiently. There were other factors at hand here as well- he was attracted to the medic, and he could use the interface. Skywarp wasn't, which is why he gladly handed over this 'task' to his trinemate...he just rather hoped Star wouldn't be /too/ disappointed...if he could even talk Ratchet into it at all.

"You did far more than you had to, and you know it." His voice was soft, though tinged with a faint rumbling that vibrated along his own wings.

Ratchet's face heated slightly in something he would never admit to being embarrassment. "I did what any decent mech should. War or no war." He countered.

"You are far more than merely 'decent'. You are a credit to your mentors and your teachers, and an asset to your profession." All of that was true, though TC was far from used to saying all this.

He stepped closer, almost in Ratchet's personal space and looked down at the medic. "Again...I offer my...service. Though I should think that it won't be a burden, but a gift instead."

Ratchet felt the need to back up, but the counter stopped him for the moment. He frowned at Thundercracker, trying to dig for the meaning for the sudden flattery. "You don't have to ... pay me for anything."

"It isn't precisely a payment." He placed both hands on the counter that Ratchet leaned against, not /quite/ touching the medic but getting pretty damned close. "It's Seeker custom." he explained.

Trapped as he was, Ratchet's optics widened as he suddenly realized what Thundercracker was on about. "Thundercracker, stop. We can't."

TC frowned. "Why not?" he asked, genuinely perplexed. "If you worry about my trinemates, Skywarp is aware and Starscream will be. There's no..." He searched for the word, as it wasn't one uttered at all on the Nemesis. "No infidelity."

Okay, Ratchet had to snort at that. "That isn't what I meant. I'm your medic. You are my patient. You're offering payment through interface for a service I gave FREELY and I will not take advantage of you. Besides which, that doesn't even cover the cross faction issues."

The Seeker tilted his head. "It's /not/ payment, it's an expression of respect and thanks. I whore myself for no one." That was said /very/ firmly. "There is nothing inherently wrong with a consensual relationship- however short-lived- between two who are on opposite sides of the war, or even have other relationships such as doctor/patient. Tell me, Ratchet, does that mean you 'face no one on the Ark, because they too are your patients?"

The medic opened his mouth to rebut that, but found no words to do so. Frag him for being right. Still. "There's plenty wrong with cross faction trysts."

"Why?" Thundercracker challenged again. "There are no authority issues. I have declared that I will not interfere with your work here, and harming you in interface would certainly interfere."

"That isn't... Thundercracker, my reliability could be compromised. I'm an officer." He countered, but that sounded weak to his own audios. Truth was, he WAS attracted to Thundercracker. He was big, strong, had a presence that demanded to be acknowledged even if he rarely spoke without something important to say... And his frame was more than a bit appealing as well, though Ratchet didn't share most mechs' fascination for wings. He was quite happy on the ground. And the more he thought about it, the more appealing the idea was. No matter how wrong it was.

A small smile played on pale lips. "You are making excuses." It was late, they were as alone as they'd ever be, and Thundercracker took one hand in his own and tugged gently to bring the smaller mech's frame flush with his own. "For the next joor, there is no war. There is no /anything/ except you and I and this room...and this is where it will stay." he whispered, meaning it. He resolved to enjoy this and to make it as good for their benefactor/medic as he could...as long as Ratchet didn't want to go for his port. TC didn't think he'd be able to do that, custom or no custom.

Ratchet shuddered, hand clutching at the seeker's while the other rose to press against the white chassis, seemingly unsure of he wanted to push away or cling. "Anybody could walk in and catch us."

"I would not ask you to bar entry to those who may need it." TC admitted. "So...we shall have to take that chance." Ratchet hadn't said no. If he had, Thundercracker would have backed off. This was nothing more than token protests- the Seeker had seen that shiver, and he found it oddly arousing. His other hand braced on Ratchet's shoulder, and he looked down into optics that nearly glowed cerulean. They were pressed against each other, the faint thrum of jet engines higher-pitched than Ratchet's own sound, yet together it translated into a low purr that caused TC's optics to flare. He bent his head down to try and kiss him softly. The idle thought that Ratchet probably didn't think 'Cons could do 'soft' left as soon as it came.

Ratchet's intakes hitched, fingers digging into the plating they were clinging too at the gently pressure. His entire frame shuddered as he returned the pressure just as gently, even knowing he should not. Primus, was he really about to do this?

"Mmmmmmmmmmm." That sound was low in the Seeker's chest, sending that feeling through them both as Thundercracker abruptly wrapped both arms around the medic and /lifted/ him onto the countertop that he was leaning against. This put him far closer than before and he began nipping at Ratchet's neck cabling, his hands firmly positioned on the medic's hips.

Flickering optics accompanied the harsh hiss of surprise when the medic's pedes left the ground and he found himself firmly seated on the counter. Even still, he tilted his helm aside for Thundercracker as he finally forced himself to move and reciprocate, going for the areas he'd found to be most sensitive. Wing hinges and their seams in particular.

Crimson optics offlined just for a moment- Thundercracker wanted to be able to /see/ Ratchet's responses to his touch, though frag if that didn't feel good. He supposed that the medic ought to know where the best places to touch were; after all, he knew anatomy. TC have the medic a half-smile before sliding his lips upward toward Ratchet's audial. "If you want me to stop, say stop." he whispered, hand brushing lightly over the glass that covered Ratchet's chest, so different from his own.

Ratchet shuddered with a soft sound, hands tweaking several wires. "NOW you say that." He muttered before leaning in to nip at the seeker's throat.

The Seeker hissed. "I will not take what is not freely offered...do you give yourself to me?" he asked, his low tones rolling over them both as Thundercracker shifted Ratchet more comfortably on the countertop. Something clattered to the floor, but TC refused to let go of his current partner; he wanted him to concentrate upon /him/, not the room around them.

Ratchet wasn't particularly fond of the manhandling, but he snorted. "If I really didn't want this, you'd already have one of those scalpels sticking out of your cranial circuitry."

TC gave Ratchet a /look/ and only smiled. "Then tell me...what is it that the fearsome medic of the Autobots prefers? Or will you force me to guess?" The look on the Seeker's face gave the impression that he'd have way too much fun trying to figure it out.

And Ratchet was lying to himself if he said that look didn't catch his vents. "You're the Deceptcion." He teased in spite of himself, corners of his mouth twitch into a smile even as his fingers had moved on to squeeze along wing edges. "Coerce me."

A dark purr came from lips that suddenly quirked into a smile that was at once seductive and compelling. "So /that's/ how you like it." he said, running the tip of his glossa down the side seam of the medic's neck. "Fine." he breathed. "You will learn that to challenge me is something you should not do unless you are prepared to deal with the consequences." Thundercracker then effortlessly lifted Ratchet once more and shifted him closer to his own frame, moving toward a wide medical berth meant for a larger mech. He was prepared to hold onto Ratchet even should he struggle, though he doubted the struggles would be real. His fans whirred, not quite at their highest level, but the heat was building fast enough, a dull ache signifying his arousal behind his panel.

Ratchet clung as his world tilted for a moment and he prided himself in that was his ONLY reaction rather than any kind of undignified sound. "Obviously, I'm prepared for anything. It's what being a medic is mostly about." He noted that his tone was as steady as could be expected, as well. One victory for Ratchet.

"Oh, I sincerely doubt you are. But feel free to keep talking." He laid Ratchet down on the berth on his back, his hands firmly on Ratchet's shoulders as he looked down, considering. One hand rose to trace the thin lines of the chevron on his forehelm. "This stands out...I do wonder why." the Seeker mused, tracing it as gently as he could.

Ratchet's optics flared as the sensitive scanning nanites in his chevron reacted and sent static inducing pleasure tingling down his struts. He moaned softly, his hand tracing up Thundercracker's arm to a shoulder vent.

"So /that's/ why." He pressed more firmly at the edges, treating it as if it were a wing-edge, and moved Ratchet's hand back down to his side rather firmly. "No touching." he virtually growled. He'd lose his own control far too fast if those talented hands were allowed to wreak havoc across his own plating, and that would defeat the purpose of 'coercing' the medic. He stared into blue optics to ensure that Ratchet got the message loud and clear before continuing his slow and thorough exploration of the grounder's frame.

A shiver tripped down his spine, rattling plating with a soft flutter of metal on metal. "Not precisely fair." he huffed, but kept his servos where they were for the time being. They twitched every time Thundercracker brushed over something sensitive and he squirmed slightly.

"Decepticon." TC remarked offhandedly. "Did you expect me not to take /every/ advantage?" Pale lips began to trace where fingers were just instants before, and the Seeker's dent grazed the edge of the chevron just enough to send a vibration through it into the mech below him. His own hands stroked down Ratchet's arms and his midsection, testing each crevice and seam for sensitivity; despite his own boldness TC had never 'faced a grounder before.

Ratchet moaned, clenching his hands to keep them there, now fighting with the urge to not just reach out and touch. "You have me -There!" He gasped, shifting on the berth.

TC chuckled again, able to see the effort that Ratchet was having to expend just to keep his hands down. "If you cannot keep your hands to yourself, I may have to ensure that the decision is no longer your own." he said softly, the light in his optics making his meaning unmistakeable. He stroked the area that had made Ratchet cry out repeatedly, sliding him into the center of the berth so he could position his larger frame on the end of it, parting the medic's thighs gently with one free hand.

Well now wasn't THAT just an idea. Regardless if Thundercracker kept TOUCHING him there... One hand finally moved, quick as a viper or if he were throwing a wrench at Jazz. It grabbed Thundercracker's wrist to pull his hand away from the spot. "As good as that feels, you don't want me worked up too soon."

"Why not, when I can just hold you at the edge and watch you writhe? the Seeker replied, though he /did/ stop at the request. He took Ratchet's hand in his own, though, and grasped the other as well, pinning them above the medic's helm as he leaned over him to devour his lips with Thundercracker's own, his frame pressing down just hard enough on the smaller mech's shivering form.

Thundercracker's grip on his sensorladen hands had him crying out loudly, intensity shooting down his arms and over his frame. Luckily, Thundercracker's lips covering his just as the cry started might serve to make him think it was just the kiss. Hand play was nice, but frag it he was putty in a mech's servos when they found out.

Thundercracker moaned in response, pressing just a bit harder, kissing him harder because it seemed as though Ratchet liked this, liked being pinned to the berth and have someone kiss the spark out of him. His lips moved and his glossa slid out, requesting entrance, coaxing its counterpart to come and play as well. TC liked kissing even though it was said that 'Cons didn't do soft scrap like that. His hands first tightened, then loosened their grip, his fingertip brushing along the palms and he shifted both wrists into one hand's grip, reaching down to cup the pert little aft and press it further into himself.

Ratchet groaned, trembling hands tightening around Thundercracker's to keep it from TEASING anymore. Primus slag it all, but now his vents were set on their highest setting and they'd barely started. He kissed back fiercely, trying to distract himself and the Seeker, rolling his hips in a circular motion in Thundercracker's grip.

"Never thought you would be quite like /this/." the Seeker murmured, successfully stifling the moan that wanted to slip out at the feeling of overheated plating next to his own. His wings quivered enticingly over them, almost like a canopy made of the sky, and TC purred again, pressing his panel right next to Ratchet's own and sending a light pulse of sonic energy through his frame into his lover's. "You have to tell me that you want me." he said, almost as if he were discussing the weather, almost as if he were completely unaffected...though his own frame proclaimed that a lie with a glance.

Ratchet arched and gasped sharply at the sonics pulsing through him and he trembled. "Primus take your spark, isn't that OBVIOUS?" He grunted through clenched denta.

"Maybe...but I find that I like to hear you ask me for it." He didn't use the word "beg"; he rather thought Ratchet's pride wouldn't care too much for that, even if that's what he was doing. The medic's responses, both physical and verbal, were sending TC himself into the red, and he'd had to cancel the automatic response to open his panel no less than three times. He caught the faint scent of Ratchet's lubricant and he moaned loudly, tailing one fingertip over the lower panel in a bid to get it open. He pulsed his sonics once more, even through his hand, and watched intently.

Ratchet yelped, valve clenching on nothing as his panel slid open with a click. He'd lost the battle of wills, but it didn't leave too much of a stinging mark. If he'd had use of his hands, Thundercracker wouldn't even be coherent right now. "Ask?" He snarked breathlessly.

"Ask, beg, plead, moan, cry out...all of that and more." the big blue Seeker said with a grin of satisfaction. The finger that had been tracing Ratchet's panel now traced the outer sensors of the medic's valve, knowing that this might well be a /very/ tight fit. He didn't mind that overmuch, but he wasn't going to /hurt/ Ratchet either. "If I release your hands, will you behave?" he asked softly.

"Yes!" Ratchet cried, bucking into that gentle touch as his pedes scrabbled for purchase against the ground. "Don't stop that!"

Thundercracker paused just for a moment, optics flaring, lips just a breath away from Ratchet's own. "Do you think to order me around?" he asked, low and dangerous, his fingertip gathering up the moisture that glistened on the rim of Ratchet's port meaningfully. "You forgot something." he continued, keeping his touches to the barest brush rather than doing as his body craved and just /taking/ Ratchet right here on this berth, frag anyone who walked in. He did release Ratchet's hands, though, using his now-free hand to balance himself over the smaller grounder.

Ratchet's hands shot to grip the mech's shoulders, anchoring himself. He rolled his hips again, trying to impale himself before whining when the pressure only decreased. "Don't you fragging stop, PLEASE!" He growled.

TC almost whimpered- the grip felt /good/, and the sound of Ratchet's voice, breaking over the plea was nearly too much. His own panel snapped aside and his spike slid up Ratchet's leg, though he didn't enter him yet. His fingertips did that instead, two at once, scraping along the sensor-laden walls and /twisting/ with a skill that showed long practice in stretching those who may be a bit small for his equipment. "I won't, then." he said, both as a promise and a threat. "But neither will I harm you. You are...smaller than I." he said seriously.

"I'm also smaller than Optimus." Ratchet panted after his cry tapered off.

Thundercracker raised an optic ridge. "Are you implying that you-" He couldn't quite finish that thought aloud.

"Yes, slaggit!" He snarled, riding Thundercracker's fingers rather eagerly by this point. His charge was building deliciously even as he craved for something more filling than two fingers.

"Interesting." TC murmured, right before he doubled the number of fingers that Ratchet was riding so nicely. "What would he say if he knew you were...cementing crossfaction ties in this way, I wonder? Something tells me that he wouldn't mind, overmuch..." He shrugged; that sort of talk could be for afterward, now was for driving the medic half-insane with his touch. Thundercracker smirked and took Ratchet's left hand in his own and gently nibbled at his first digit. "You thought I did not know of a medic's hands. They hold more sensors than my wings." he said gently before taking the entire finger between his lips, his other hand pumping steadily harder in and out of Ratchet's quickly heating valve.

Ratchet jerked with a shout, valve convulsing and squeezing around Thundercracker's fingers. Heat shout down his arm from Thundercracker's mouth infusing his frame with a spark deep shudder as he overloaded with a static laved sob. His optics were bled almost white and he thrashed, trying to simultaneously free his hand and push Thundercracker's fingers deeper.

The Seeker couldn't help the shudder that came over him- he'd never seen anything quite like that in his entire /life/. *That was hotter than watching Starscream writhe on the bed while tied up.* Thundercracker said silently, his vents screaming at him to /do something/ already. Sucking a second finger into his mouth, he moved the fingers that had teased Ratchet's port and slid forward, the blunt tip of his spike pushing past the rim. He moaned loudly around the digits, wings snapping back to frame him, and his optics burned with desire.

The medic writhed, the stretch burning and feeling so pit slagging GOOD. "Oh!" He gasped as if surprised, right hand moving to grip tightly at the leading edge of the seeker's wing. "Oh Primus! More!"

Thundercracker's lips parted in a loud cry, the hand on his wing feeling slagging amazing. He thrust forward just a bit harder than he'd originally intended, the tight heat overwhelmingly good. His glossa tickled Ratchet's fingertips once more before he repositioned his hands on the medic's shoulders, still holding him firmly yet allowing him to touch, should he remain coherent enough to do so. He kept his pace steady, his control firmly in place for now, though it would be a near thing if he had to keep feeling the almost rhythmic squeeze, hear the impassioned cries. "Open wider." he growled, expecting to be obeyed.

"What?" Ratchet grunted, almost missing the command under the onslaught of pleasure bombarding him from his array.

Legs around my hips." Thundercracker said harshly, and he moved his hands just long enough to place ratchet's legs over his own hips, moaning at the change in angle. He moved faster, nipping rather sharply at a cable in Ratchet's neck, and his vents grew faster, the air filled with a strange /something/ that set TC's sensors to singing in anticipation. He groaned as he hilted himself just to grind their arrays together, his entire frame shaking.

"Ngh!" Ratchet grunted, freed hand gripping the back of Thundercracker's helm and tugging him down for a hard kiss as he twined his legs at the ankle. Primus, Thundercracker was good at this and his spike was exquisite.

TC allowed himself to be dragged into the kiss, giving just as good as he got, the thrumming in his chassis sending vibrations through them both. He could feel himself on the very edge of overload, but he wasn't going over until he'd given Ratchet another, preferably better than his last. He sucked on the medic's lower lip and moved back just enough to speak. "So /pretty/ under me, watching you writhe and twist and jerk and moan when I take you. You like this, don't you...being made to submit to another's touch, yet your own control does not allow you to let go with many. Hm. I will /remember/ this." he promised once more, his hips moving harder and faster with every word.

So would Ratchet but he was hardly coherent enough to speak it at this exact moment in time. He writhed and moaned and pleaded as his charge crept over his plating again to settle deeply in the pit of his tanks, making him burn with eager anticipation. He was close, so close, just a few more... "THUNDERCRACKER!" He shrieked, fingers digging into seams and his valve cinching snug around the large member impaling him.

He loved hearing his lovers cry out his name. He wasn't sure why, but it stuck him deep inside and made him arch forward, burying himself inside Ratchet with a whisper of the medic's own designation, not stopping his thrusts through the overload that brought the proud and irascible Ratchet down in its wake. The thrumming in the room suddenly broke and a loud noise came from the Seeker, blowing tools and materials off the cabinets onto the floor with a clatter and crash. He couldn't let go just yet- his frame felt hypersensitized, and he clutched the shuddering grounder to him in the aftermath.

Ratchet panted harshly, shuddering in Thundercracker's grip as his valve continued to squeeze around Thundercracker's spike with the tenseness of his frame. "Primus!" He whispered hoarsely.

TC laughed quietly. "Not quite." he said, teasing just a bit. he made sure not to rest all his weight on Ratchet, though he really didn't feel like moving yet, even though he could sense that Skywarp had fellt that almost as if he'd been present. His trinemate's grin was nearly visible from here.

"Oh quiet, you." He mumbled as his frame began to ping with cooling metal. He also felt every slagging inch of the spike still seated firmly within him. And his gestation chamber warmed perversely with Thundercracker's transfluid. "Get enough cheek from the mechs around here."

"You will survive it, I'm sure. What if it were Star who were here instead of Skywarp? However would you deal with it?" TC teased even more, shifting minutely...then hissing at the sensation. Skywarp giggled, yes, /giggled/ over their bond, giving TC the image of their trineleader on his knees, his lips quite occupied and unable to be used for speech.

"I don't think my audials could handle it." Ratchet made a face. "And I seriously doubt he would have... offered me this."

Thundercracker tilted his helm. "No. He probably would not have...but do not judge what you don't know, either. It is possible; he does respect traditional Seeker ways. You have lain with me, this is true, and now you know a little of me. Know more- I /love/ both him and Skywarp with all that is within me...and that love has been there for far longer than any tie to a silly faction." Thundercracker watched Ratchet, wanting to see his reaction to the admission.

Ratchet gave him an odd look before snorting and rubbing his helm awkwardly. "Suppose I walked into that one." He muttered, thinking of his own rather... unrequited love. "But if you-"

"Just because one loves someone does not mean that sharing pleasure with another is wrong. It is only wrong if you hide it, if you /lie/ about it." Thundercracker interrupted. He shifted out of the medic, laying on his side, his wings dangling half off the edge of the berth. "You look...troubled. Why is that?" he asked.

Ratchet grunted as Thundercracker pulled out, almost moaning the loss of the warm spike before he caught himself. "It's nothing. Not much you can do with it anyways. Just an old mech thinking."

"Untrue. I can listen. And perhaps be of more use than you think." TC said, unruffled. He held fast to Ratchet, waiting for him to speak.

Ratchet's mouth worked on the words, pride warring with the need to lift this from his shoulders. To be honest, as annoying as they could be, when they made the effort, the seekers COULD be pleasant company and he'd developed a sort of camaraderie with them. "I suppose..." He started hesitantly. "I'm a bit jealous."

"Jealous of what, our bond?" TC asked, wondering if that could be it. "I know that outsiders- non-Seekers- do not trine as we do. Do you not engage in regular partner bonds, though?" Thundercracker scowled. "It is believed to be the ultimate weakness for a Decepticon to bond his spark to another's."

"Partner bonds during a war on any side is stupid." Ratchet shook his helm. He couldn't count how many mechs he'd lost because of a bond. "But regardless, I'm old and that ship has sailed. Like I said... I'm a bit jealous."

The Seeker gave Ratchet an intent look. "Partner bonds." he said slowly. "They are not just /something to do/, not for us. They are...part of us and who we are. But you knew that, didn't you?" Thundercracker asked/said. "And you are wrong about being old, and the like. Do you know how old /I/ was when suddenly, two virtual /younglings/ came to turn my world upside down?"

"You do realize..." Ratchet began slowly with a close to humorous smile on his face. "That I am at least twice as old as you?"

TC shrugged. "You still live, don't you? Then it doesn't matter."

"I live in the middle of a war where I am the Autobots' most likely means of survival." Ratchet said slowly. "To fall in love and get bonded is not only stupid, it's risking something I can't risk."

"Again, I ask you- why not? If it is something that is worth it, then you would do it regardless...and the need and desire for closeness and even love is the best reason of them all." Unaccountably sappy? No, not really. There were no stars in Thundercracker's optics, no faraway lookx toward the room where Skywarp ay resting or even the Nemesis where his First lay alone. There was only acceptance and a belief that he was /right/ in this feeling. "You are the best medic on either side...and the most compassionate as well." TC noted. "That only tells me that you /need/ someone...or several someones...to help you with the feelings that you /must/ hold back, that you /cannot/ allow free reign while you treat the injured and dying."

Ratchet wanted so badly to believe those words. "You don't really get it, do you? EVERY mech comes under my servos at one point or another. I can't allow myself to have preference over one when someone else is in more need of my abilities." Then so low he could barely even hear himself. "Primus knows, Sunny and Sides can't keep their afts off a medberth for more than a slaggin' cycle."

"Every time Starscream must order either of us into a potentially dangerous situation, did you know that he is /afraid/ each and every single time, that he incessantly checks reports, that he literally cannot recharge and rest until he can physically /see/ that whoever it was that he sent into danger is /safe/? And that he feels only slightly less for /any other Seeker/?" Thundercracker is almost willing to bet his left wing that Ratchet did NOT, in fact, know this. Then what the medic really said hit him, and hit him hard.

"It is not a preference when it is a desire to keep your mates safe." he murmured, reaching out in much the same way as he would to Skywarp when Star had to be away, caressing the smooth white arm. "And...part of that is our fault, I suppose. They...fight /us/. And we fight back. Such is the nature of war." TC sounded sad at that.

Ratchet looked startled at Thundercracker's admission about Starscream, gobsmacked into silence for once in his existence. He couldn't even refute what Thundercracker was saying. He'd never have thought that the Air Commander gave a beaten tin frag about those under his authority. Sure, he'd care for his trine, but...

TC knew why Ratchet was staring, and he kept talking. "What's even worse, he can't even let anyone know why he is doing this. As you have said, bonds are a risk. The Winglord's bond to his people is nowhere near as intense as a true sparkbond, but he feels each and every Seeker that lives." Crimson optics blaze briefly. "And each who dies."

He calmed himself before continuing. "And it is I who helps him release that. I know of your twins, and their ways. Anger and chaos. Do you not think that they too deserve the comfort that may come from being close to one who cares? That they may love you too for who you are, not as the medic that saves their lives, but as the mech whose /own/ life and joy in living is renewed just by wrapping himself in a bond, the bond that was given us by Primus to join in this way?"

Ratchet's vents hitched slightly, Thundercracker's words something he's repeated to himself over and over again in some hope he could make them be true. His optics turned down. "And if I fall, who's there to help the Autobots? First Aid? He's too new. Hoist can't do it on his own, Swoop is still too new as well. Tying myself to someone will only bring the very real reality of the Autobots standing little to no chance. And that isn't vanity... it's fact."

"What you should hope for is an end to this insanity." the Seeker said seriously, staring into crystal-blue optics to gauge his reaction to what was treason to his own cause.

Ratchet snorted. "You're very lucky Soundwave and his little goons don't usually raid my medbay. And I hope for it every slagging day. But Optimus is too soft sparked to offline Megatron permanently and none of the rest of us can take him head on. The twins have tried, Jazz has tried, IRONHIDE has tried..."

"Star can't.' Thundercracker said, almost too softly to be heard. He didn't seem willing to explain that one anyway. "I have never...Skywarp is loyal, yet I am trying to make him see that things are /not/ as they were intended. That your Prime would never perpetrate the crimes of his predecessors. If you indeed are as old as you say, then you /know/. You know why the Seekers abandoned neutrality and took a side."

"Honestly? I don't." Ratchet shrugged. "You have to understand... I didn't join the war until much, much later. And it took me even longer to climb the ranks... And that was on chance luck alone." Ratchet didn't really want to go into that at the moment.

"The Senate." With these words, Thundercracker's grip on Ratchet increased just slightly, and his tone took on an edge that had been absent this whole discussion. "They wanted us flightless. They claimed that it took too much fuel to fly, and so they attempted to ration us down to nothing...below what would be required for even a short flight around Vos. Naturally, our leader at the time objected. That was...and still /is/, Starscream. He is our Winglord." The Seeker paused. "To us, I suppose the title is somewhat like that of Prime, though Star certainly claims no tie with his predecessors, nor any guidance from Primus. He isolated Vos from the rest of Cybertron, and for quite some time we survived and even prospered. Yes. we rationed...but we maintained flight, because to do otherwise would be the death of our kind."

TC stiffened as he told the rest. "Sentinel Prime objected. He claimed that Vos was stockpiling fuel to make war upon the rest of the world...and as Seekers are created for war, with less volition than your average drone to the common optic, it was believed. They called for us to be brought low, and brought low we were." The Seeker grew impossibly sad.

"They started with the creches."

Ratchet was horrified at what he was hearing, hands gripping tighter. He'd never liked Sentinel Prime, the slagger more of an arrogant puppet than anything else. He also knew well enough that the War had had a PURPOSE in the beginning. Before, he surmised, Megatron went off the deep end. Humans and their useful idioms. "Creches?"

"Where the seekerlings awaited the return of their creators while they worked." Thundercracker's tone was distant and cold, still angry over this so many vorn later. So many lives lost forever. "Starscream has never truly recovered from that- imagine, if you would. Say you could sense each and every Autobot within your spark, not as a bond, but as a presence. Then eighty-five percent of them dies screaming- weaponsfire, crushed alive by collaping towers, perhaps even by the bare hands of those who proclaimed that freedom is the right of all sentient beings. Tell me, Ratchet, how sane would you be after this?"

"Stop." Ratchet said hoarsely, shoving his hand over Thundercracker's mouth. His own imagination, fueled with real life experiences of other younglings he'd never been able to save or even sparklings dying in his servos, served Thundercracker's images very well. He shook in the seeker's grip. "Just stop."

"I think you see." TC said. "But you don't know all of it. After we joined Megatron's cause...which initially was for /equality/, not for world domination, he sought to own Starscream, and by extension, the Seekers. He gave our Winglord over to his pet scientist for an entire orn, and when he was returned to us..." Thundercracker looked like he wanted to hurt something, or break something. "He couldn't act, not seriously, against Megatron. He can't deny him anything. It's in his core programming, and in that includes a stricture that keeps him from modifying it himself. His arrogance remains, but it's a hollow shell. I have to keep him from harming himself at times when it gets truly bad." TC glances at his one-time lover. "You wonder why I worry more about him than Skywarp, I am sure."

Ratchet didn't even know how to RESPOND to that. The thought alone made him feel like purging everything in his tanks and he pressed a hand over his own mouth just to avoid doing that. Someone should never... NEVER alter core programming. It was wrong, it was a violation worse than spark rape. It went against everything they were as a species. And that it had been SHOCKWAVE of all mechs to do it... no wonder Starscream was so fragging crazy!

Thundercracker can sense the hesitation in Ratchet's frame. "It is all true, if that's what you're wondering." he says almost bitterly. "I would not make such accusations if it weren't."

"Primus..." He whispered, horrified. The sound was thick in his voice. "Dear Primus."

"I wish he could be returned to how he once was, before his rebellion was taken from him." Thundercracker remarked. There was a lot of hurt in those dark red optics, and resignation in his tone. "It's probably been too long, though. If he could...then perhaps we could return to what we once were. The Seekers would not be ruled by a madmech, someone who does not know the song of wind as it resonates through one's systems. We could be as we were meant to be- protectors of those weaker than ourselves. It is not just sparklings we are drawn to watch over- it is anyone who needs it. /That/ was our original purpose...and not many know that. Those who do know are resistant to truth or simply don't care. I do know this- I want my Star back, and I will do much to ensure that that happens."

Ratchet could hear the absolute desolation and hurt in Thundercracker's voice and his processor (as well as his spark) raced. What if Starscream COULD be returned to how he supposedly was? What if they could... They could WIN this war with the Seekers on their side, but it was gaining Starscream's alliance that would be the deal breaker there. "I... I don't know for certain if it's possible, but... I think, and I don't ... please don't get your hopes up, but it's POSSIBLE I can help."

Thundercracker rose up slightly. "Do not tell me this if it isn't true." he said warningly, hope rising within his spark despite himself. He /knew/ better, hope was worse than love when it came to weaknesses that could break a mech. "Skywarp is my brother. I love him dearly. But Starscream is..." TC didn't finish that thought; he rather thought it was obvious by now.

"I said POSSIBLE." Ratchet reiterated. "I don't know 100%. I'm a medic, not a coder... You'd need Wheeljack or Perceptor for coding."

"I will speak to whoever I must." Thundercracker said, dead serious. "I...don't know all the details, but I /do/ know what it has done to him, the effects. If the chance exists that he can be...returned to /himself/, then I will take it...even if he hates me for it later." His wings drooped slightly at that. "He'll never be how he was before Vos fell. I am not idealistic enough to think that that would be the case. But the coldness,the inability to express softer feelings...and his drive to succeed and overtake Megatron...that would come back, and I know that with us at his side, he could do it."

"I said I'd help, you don't need to make me feel worse than I already do." Ratchet snapped slightly, Thundercracker's grip almost too tight now.

"I was not intending to make you feel worse." Thundercracker said, loosening his grip a bit. Skywarp was long in recharge, having gotten bored some time ago with the conversation. This closeness...it wasn't what TC wanted, not exactly, but it was still good, and he felt that it had done them both some good to come together in this way. "I will have to force him to come, you realize this. He does not believe anything was done."

"Most don't." Ratchet hummed thoughtfully. It... hadn't been the first case. Prowl was a classic example, though the battle computer had integrated far too long ago to be able to do anything about it. Though now, Prowl realized there had been something done to him. He'd come to terms with it, thankfully, but it'd still been difficult from what Smokescreen recounted. The Twins were another. Sunstreaker had long figured out that there was an off dynamic between them, but Sideswipe still lived blissfully ignorant of anything done to his programming. Another case he couldn't fix. Was he wrong to offer this hope to Thundercracker only to fail again?

"He will be angry, he will make threats. I can contain him, though. Star still listens to me when he will heed no one else." Thundercracker hesitated, not sure if he should reveal the last bit of information to the medic or not. He shrugged inwardly and looked him in the optics. "And possibly you can use me to help. We...Star and I...our bond is not simply the bond of trinemates. We sparkbonded back before the war. It's not strong, it hasn't been renewed in vorns...but it's still there." TC paused. "Star doesn't remember it. He thinks it's the trine bond, and that Skywarp is not as sensitive as I am." If Megatron knew this, he would have Thundercracker deactivated. Both as an example, and because he dare thought to have a claim on what the tyrant had publically claimed as his.

"I'm not going to manipulate a bond." Ratchet said sharply.

"It isn't manipulation when it's offered." TC returned, arching an optic ridge. "And if it is the only way to reach him..."

"You're giving me permission, sure, but will Starscream? Given his frame of mind, I think not. It's still manipulation." Ratchet glared. "And I won't do it."

"No, he likely wouldn't. He would probably deny the existence of a bond in the first place." Thundercracker admitted. He sighed, feeling suddenly exhausted. "You care. You know how it feels to put another's safety and happiness before your own, even if it /is/ the Twins." He held up a hand with a smile, making sure the medic knew he was only teasing. "If we can do this...and I /will/ do this if only to ensure Starscream's repairs, then perhaps your objections to a relationship with those /you/ care for will vanish with the war."

"Maybe." Ratchet conceded guardedly. Aside from the reason he'd... never told them or that they most likely wouldn't WANT an old codger like himself.

"Maybe my aft. Or..." Thundercracker actually smiled slightly. "You haven't told them, have you."

Ratchet's face heated and he snapped his mouth shut, grinding his denta together. His gaze remained fixed on Thundercracker's chassis, refusing to move.

"I see." TC grinned, the look on his face entirely too reminiscent of Skywarp for comfort. He did give Ratchet a serious look, though. "I...will ensure that the twins are as safe as they can be from Skywarp, Star, and myself. I can't guarantee anything, especially should they try and rip my wings off /again/, but I will try. For your sake."

"I would ask why, but I suppose at this point it would be redundant." Ratchet said tightly, his embarrassment still acute.

"What, why they attempted to relieve me of my wings? Or why I care?" the Seeker asked, giving Ratchet a perceptive look.

"That second one."

"Because you have offered to do what no one else has yet offered in all these vorn. Because you, for some reason, recognize the great wrong that has been done to us as a people. Because..." Thundercracker looked directly into Ratchet's optics, certain of this. "Because you yourself care whether you admit it to others or not."

Ratchet huffed, working on his next words as he thought them out. "I'm not the only one."

The gaze remained fixed on Ratchet as the Seeker said not a single word.

Ratchet sighed. "Please stop staring at me like that."

"Why?" Thundercracker asked, fighting off a smile. Skywarp would be proud, he decided.

"Because I said so." Ratchet growled.

"Do I follow your orders now?" Oh, that grin was just /itching/ to come out in full force.

The medic could feel it building, the irritation that came so naturally to him and his left optic twitched for a moment. "Do not get cheeky with me, youngling."

"Youngling." Thundercracker said, well and truly able to keep up with /this/ particular game. Snark had not always been second nature to him, but he'd been trined with, and close to, Starscream for /far/ too long not to become eminently comfortable with throwing it back almost as fast as it came at him.

The fact that he could keep a straight face through it all usually drove Star to distraction; he wondered if Ratchet would react the same way.

"So you like younglings, is it?" he asked, deadpan. The inflection on the word 'like', combined with their position, made it clear what he meant.

Ratchet gaped at him for several long moments before the atmosphere of doom (as Sideswipe termed it) set in and his armor puffed out in affront. Not three seconds after that, a large, reverberating clang echoed in the large bay, Ratchet's favorite (and most heavy duty) wrench in his hand.

Thundercracker's expression finally changed, though it wasn't to a smile. A pained wince marred his handsome face, and he gave the medic a wary look. Still, he couldn't resist one last barb.

"Ouch, no /wonder/ you like Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, you're all the same, so fragging /violent/!"

An incoherent sound of frustrated (and more than a little self righteous) anger left Ratchet's throat and he shoved his digits into Thundercracker's shoulder seam to tug (none too gently) at his motor cables. The seeker's grip weakened and he wedged a pede between them to kick him off the berth so he could close up and roll off the other side.

"You can go and join you fragging flitterglitched trinemate and leave me the frag alone!" Ratchet was, to borrow a human term, /pissed/ and it showed.

The Seeker landed on the floor, rather stunned, stunned enough that he didn't catch himself and landed rather painfully on his left wing. He hissed out a curse and stared.

"What did I say?" he asked somewhat stupidly. He replayed his words, and wondered if it had happened again, that someone had taken his rather flat delivery as him being /serious/...

"I meant no offense." he said softly, his wings positioned to echo the sentiment. An odd feeling of dread hit him- would he rescind his offer to help, now? Thundercracker hoped with all his spark that he would not. "I was...trying and failing, to make a joke. A poor one, it seems. My...my apologies." He rose from his seated position, his energy field very confused, his wing stinging from the hard landing.

"Some joke!" Ratchet ground out, returning to the sink and ignoring the state of his frame as he continued cleaning his tools rather agitatedly. "First you imply I'm a pervert and then you feel as if you can insult my comrades knowing full well by now how I feel about them!"

"I wasn't implying that you were a pervert." He very prudently did not point out that perversion, like much else, was largely a creation of narrow minds. "I also wasn't insulting them. At least, I didn't intend to."

"Then you are just naturally an idiot." Ratchet growled.

"Skywarp calls me socially clueless." Thundercracker replied, feeling a bit insulted now himself. He paused, remembering. "And Star put it as "hopelessly inept when it comes to reading others."

Ratchet snorted his agreement, not quite willing to forgive the seeker for his thoughtless words. They'd stung more than he wanted to admit.

He had to ask, even as much as it made him feel...weak and /pathetic/ he had to know. "You...will not go back on your offer?" he said, and he hated himself in that moment for the tone in his voice. It was laced with desperation and need, and those were two /more/ emotions that he wasn't supposed to have.

Ratchet stiffened and flared over his shoulder at him. "Are you implying I'm a liar as well."

"No, I am implying that you are upset with me, and in my experience those who are angry generally do not help others." he shot back, feeling unaccountably annoyed. "Generally speaking, I am surprised that I am not back in your brig considering how angry I believe you to be." The Seeker's wings twitched and he flinched at the thought of being locked in a windowless cell.

"I'm about to just banish you to your ICU room again!" He set his tool down heavily, thoroughly INSULTED to be compared to the Decepticons when he'd worked hard to gain the Seeker's trust and show he wasn't.

The blue wings stiffened minutely and he gave the tool a long glance, figuring that it wasn't aerodynamic enough to be tossed at his helm. "Forgive me my worries; I am not used to being able to trust people to do as they say, no matter what. The only one I have been able to trust, fully, is myself- Sky's loyalty and refusal to /see/ what is blinds him, and Star /can't/, not anymore." In defiance of the impending banishment, he sat down in a chair, chin resting on his hand, staring at the floor.

Ratchet groaned in frustration, now eyeing the seeker with a glower. "You just can't let me be angry can you?"

Thundercracker shrugged. "I control no one's emotions. I barely control my own...and I am learning that it is safe for me to express them here, at least, even if they are not popular." He looked up, biting his lip, and he shook his head as if to banish something.

Ratchet scowled at him. "Just what did you think Optimus would instill in his people?"

"You forget that my experience with a Prime is that of his predecessor...and the propaganda spread by Megatron. He claims that your Prime wishes to reinstate the old ways, to keep war mechs downtrodden and one step removed from slavery. To one not exposed to it, it's simple enough to believe. When one is immersed in a belief system cycle in and cycle out you believe it as a defense...or you go mad trying to rebel against it." He lets out a gasp rather against his will, and his expression is that of someone in pain.

Ratchet was immediately focused on him, scanner whipping out of his subspace. "Where does it hurt?"

Thundercracker shook his helm. "It's not me, that isn't going to do you any good." He forced his expression to remain impassive, just as he had far too many times before. Still, his wingtips shivered.

"Starscream." Ratchet could easily make the connection. He didn't have a capture not kill on his helm for nothing. And given everything Thundercracker had revealed, it was easy to figure it out.

The blue Seeker nodded rather quickly, the effort to hold back his emotional responses easy for Ratchet to read. "I need to get to him." Thundercracker said, his hands clenching and unclenching. "He'll /kill/ him one of these times, or force him into feeling as though his only release is to do it himself." His voice dropped, just low enough to hear. "I don't worry for my own life. I don't have a life, not anymore. And I won't have one until I free myself...and my /mate/, and my brother...from a faction that's been dying since its inception."

"Wish there is more I could do. Optimus 'negotiates' with Megatron tomorrow. And that's supposed to be classified so you don't get to say I told you anything."

Thundercracker nodded once, distracted. "I am going to try to support him...if he will let me." he said. "I...am going back to the room." He looked up, hope in his gaze despite his programming screaming at him for daring to succumb to such a weak emotion. "Thank you." Two /more/ words that Decepticons rarely spoke.

Ratchet blinked, his irritation all but melted away now. "You're welcome." He shrugged. "And not a word of what you heard tonight or so help me I'll dismantle you and make a slagging go kart out of you!"

"A flying go-kart, I do hope." was Thundercracker's only reply, a ghost of a grin touching lips drawn taut from worry and stress.

"Of course not. That takes the joy out of the threat." Ratchet snorted. "Go. Get some rest. I'll come check on you come the on cycle."

Thundercracker nodded once more. "I don't know if I will be able to recharge but I will try." he said, being truthful. "He needs me." He gave the medic a significant look before entering the room where his wingmate recharged, blissfully unaware of most of what had gone on...Thundercracker would make Skywarp see as well, somehow. He had to. Another wave of pain/fear/disgust overtook him, and his tanks, now filled with decent fuel, roiled and twisted.

Oh, Starscream...

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

I hate myself as much as I hate him. Starscream thought viciously, standing at the doorway to his leader's quarters as ordered. The thought of disobeying had never crossed his mind; for one, the safety of his trine was at stake. Megatron has insinuated that he'd leave them to the mercies of the Autobots if Starscream didn't capitulate. The Air Commander's wings were held low, both in submission and in self-loathing, and when the door opened he strode into the room as if he owned the place, false bravado his only shield against what he knew was coming.

The Seeker noticed something right off the bat- Megatron wasn't alone, and that in itself was unusual for their 'times' together. The entire Stunticon gestalt sat in hastily-gathered chairs, their postures indicating an emotional gamut that ran from interested to flat-out bored. Dead End, in fact, seemed to be staring at the Seeker with a look that almost indicated that he felt sorry for Starscream, and the SIC scowled in return- he certainly didn't need that fatalist's, or anyone else's, pity!

"Why are /they/ here?" he asked the warlord, disrespect evident in his disdainful tone.

Megatron slid cold red optics over his second in command...worthless glitch that he was, almost more trouble than he was worth. At least he wasn't hard to look at...providing he kept his mouth shut, or someone shut it for him. "Silence yourself." he ordered, and Starscream's jaw snapped shut as if closed by an external force.

"I have brought you here to show you mechs who are /not/ a big a failure as yourself. In the raid where your idiotic trinemates managed to get themselves captured, Motormaster and his team retrieved the fuel you currently consume. They did so without any outside aid, defeating a team of Autobots without even having to combine to do so." Megatron grinned, and it wasn't a reassuring smile in the least. Starscream felt his spark grow cold, and he forced his wings to remain in position.

"Is there a point to this?" he asked, almost bored, and Dead End literally winced at his words.

"The point is that you have failed where they did not...and Motormaster has earned himself a reward for his exemplary service to the Decepticon cause." Megatron watched Starscream's expression intently, because he knew that his Second was no fool.

Starscream felt as though he wanted to purge, and he stared with disgust at the truckformer who grinned salaciously at the Seeker. "I'll kill him if he even thinks to touch me." Starscream cried, cycling power to his null rays defensively. Megatron stood and moved faster than a mech his size had any right to move, grasping the Seeker's arms in a denting grip, wrenching and tearing the weaponry loose from Starscream's arms before they had gathered enough power to stun.

"Get- stop..." Starscream said, trying to pull away. His spark whirled in his chest, a feeling of panic threatening to overwhelm him. The restraint /hurt/, and it hurt even more when his null rays were torn from his frame, their connections ruined and in need of rebuilding. Motormaster watched the display almost hungrily, licking his lips, and crazy little Wildrider shrieked in joy.

"Have fun, Boss, hear the Screamer's a /hot/ little piece!"

"No, I refuse, you can't do this to me..." the Air Commander babbled, the fear and pain strangely mitigated by...something within him. His trine bond, it had to be, and he considered damping it down as best he could to spare the others what would certainly be a painful and degrading experience.

"I /do not/ consent to this." Starscream spat, wings trembling, and Megatron actually laughed.

"You little fool, do you think that your /consent/ is something I even /care/ about? Motormaster, do as you will...but I want to watch." Starscream gave Megatron a look filled with despair, hurt, and even a slight bit of betrayal- his loyalty, repaid like /this/. To be given as a toy to a favored mech, and to be watched for entertainment while taken against his will.

"Gonna enjoy this, an' I might even like it more if you fight back." Breakdown actually shuddered at that statement from his team leader, and he silently thanked Primus that it wasn't him this time. Drag Strip leaned against the wall, looking at nothing, burnishing his digits with a polishing cloth. He looked bored as the Pit, and like he'd rather be anywhere but here.

Dead End watched, though one could not tell through the visor that he wore.

Starscream retreated into his own mind once more, because he was under the impression that that space alone was sacrosanct, that no one could breach his thoughts. His shields were too strong for Soundwave to break through, and no one else could crawl into a mech's processor and live there, slogging through memories and emotions as if they were nothing more than puddles of leftover slag. There, he was safe.

In his mind, the hands touching him harshly were not the hands of a truckformer who was performing for his lord as well as sating his own violent pleasures. He could feel the far too faint presence of Thundercracker in his spark, though Skywarp, as usual, was absent. The link just wasn't as strong with Warp, Starscream knew, and it was always Thundercracker who was with him in times like this.

His wings weren't supposed to bend that way. His legs weren't meant to be spread quite that widely, and his left arm was wrenched out of its socket by an uncaring Wildrider who helped his 'boss' restrain the Seeker for his maximum use and pleasure. He allowed his frame to react as they wanted him to- the shrieks of pain and even anger, threats of violence and promises of a messy deactivation were the norm for Starscream, yet inside he felt cold. Cold and dead, despite Thundercracker's emotional support, his claim that he would take this on himself just to spare Starscream if he could. He tried to send his trinemate a fervent denial, that TC didn't deserve this...it was Starscream who did, because /he/ was the failure, but that fled in the face of the searing pain that came when Motormaster shoved himself into the much smaller Seeker without any warning.

Mercifully, Starscream let out a shriek of agony before passing out.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have you ever had an idea gnaw at your mind and not go away until you sat there and actually wrote it? That's why you, my faithful readers, are receiving an early and quick update to Trine. *pant pant pant* This all came out at ONCE, today, and I think I did okay with it. I honestly hope you guys agree. Thanks so much for the reviews and follows and favorites; it's feedback like that that helps give me the self-esteem to keep putting my crap up in public. _
> 
> Warnings for this chapter: Character death (non-canon), rather graphic descriptions of injuries, nongraphic mention of interface, mentions of noncon
> 
> Pairings: TC/Star, Hook/Bonecrusher (Structi lovin?)
> 
> Special: I borrowed Katea-Nui and I's joint OC, Eclipse, for my story just because. :D
> 
> Disclaimer: Only thing I own are the OCs and the dirty mind. xD

He knew nothing, felt nothing...and that, at least, was a blessing from Primus in and of itself. Starscream lay in stasis lock, sprawled on one of Hook's medbay berths completely unaware of his predicament and condition.

The Constructicon eyed the Seeker with a sour frown- this was almost pointless, this task to rebuild the SIC. But Megatron had ordered it, and everyone knew the results of garnering the Slagmaker's displeasure.

If, for some reason, they needed a reminder, they could always come and see Starscream as he was now.

One arm was completely loose from its socket, dangling by wires and cabling. The other arm was intact, except for the crushed fingers. Each had been shattered with an odd precision that made Hook wonder just who had done it- this wasn't Megatron's usual 'punishment'. The flier's wings were bent out of shape, one torn halfway off; the other had a dozen dents indicating that someone with large hands had gotten a bit too grabby. Hook snorted and tapped his datapad; the findings had to be a part of the official record, after all.

Starscream's legs and thrusters seemed to be mostly okay, but for the fluid stains- that could be cured with a trip to the washracks. On a second look, though, Hook swore under his breath- the Seeker's tensioner cabling at his knees had been sliced clean through. He would not be walking until it was replaced and reintegrated.

Hook then turned to where the worst damage was, and it was then that he began to feel a bit sorry for Starscream. The Seeker's inner thighs were dented, yes...dented and scratched and gouged in places. His interface panels were gone, though, revealing a spike housing that had been cunningly smashed to prohibit the release of the Seeker's spike. His valve...it didn't even look like a valve anymore. It was an energon-encrusted opening with ragged edges, still leaking energon and what appeared to be transfluid.

Hook had seen many injuries in his long, long life, as well as many atrocities. He'd committed some himself. When he looked at the ruin of Starscream's interface array, though, he felt sick. His optics flashed behind his visor and he could feel the concern from his gestaltmates through their bond. He firmly told them to mind their own business and closed the bond to a trickle before they, too, saw what he was seeing.

Starscream was blissfully unaware, though, lost in memories. Perhaps it was better that way...

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Many vorns in the past...

"Lord Starscream, I have important news for you." the messenger said, and Star looked over his shoulder, a test tube in his hand. "Do you /mind/, I'm trying to finish something here!" he groused, noting that the mech's symbol indicated that he was part of the Winglord's personal guard. Starscream wondered what his creator wanted /this/ time.

Skyfire quickly put down the datapad he was perusing and took the tube from Starscream. "Star, listen to him. I'll finish this." Starscream gave his best friend and lover a quick smile before nodding, gesturing to the messenger to come to the far end of the lab so as to not disturb the processes.

As soon as they made their way to the opposite side of the room, the messenger bowed again before speaking. Starscream raised an optic ridge at the overly formal gesture, but he didn't ask questions. He just wanted to get back to his experiment.

"My lord, your presence is required at the Spire." he said deferentially.

Starscream scowled. "You can tell old Shatterquake that I'll come when I'm finished. I'm not a youngling to be ordered about any longer, and he needs to realize that."

"My lord Starscream, it concerns Lord Shatterquake. It pains me to be the one to deliver this news, but...Lord Shatterquake was deactivated in an accident not two joor ago."

Starscream almost started to tell the messenger that he couldn't give a frag less when what he /said/ penetrated his meta. "Lord Shatterquake is /what/?"

The messenger clearly looked uncomfortable. "My lord, I am not certain of the details. There are those at the Spire who know more than I..."

Starscream trembled slightly. There was no love lost between him and his creator, but for a very long time, Shatterquake had been all he had. His carrier Dawnstar had deactivated long ago, leaving the Winglord of Vos with a youngling he didn't really know how to deal with. A succession of tutors and surrogates followed, most of which were put off by little Starscream's incisive comments and startling intellect, even at a very young age. They had been largely alone, and even though they didn't /like/ each other much, Starscream still respected his creator both as his Winglord and as a parent. The creator/creation bond wasn't as strong as some, for he hadn't sensed Shatterquake's demise, but when he thought on it and concentrated, there was an empty place in his spark where his creator once was.

"'Fire, I have to go." he called, his voice flat and emotionless. The shuttleformer looked at Starscream with concern and stride over to him. "Do you want me to-"

"No, Skyfire. I have to do this myself." Starscream said, though he privately thought that the could use the support. Skyfire wasn't precisely welcomed in the Spire, though, and Starscream didn't need to deal with /that/ on top of everything else.

Skyfire nodded. "Comm if you need me, Star. Always here for you." Skyfire bent down to kiss Starscream on the cheek, and the messenger cleared his intakes in discomfort. Star shot him a dirty look and hugged Skyfire. "I'll be back when I can." The shuttleformer nodded and released Starscream, who turned and left with the messenger, his mind filled with questions.

x.x.x.x.x.x.

When he arrived and entered the room where his creator lay, his frame grey with death, Starscream nearly purged. An accident, it was said. The accident must have involved his creator running face-first, while in root form, into a wall at his greatest speed from the looks of him. His head was all but obliterated, his wings dangling on by threads of fiber-optic cabling and wires, and the rest of him didn't look much better. Starscream bit his lip and turned to the medical staff. "What in the name of the blazing pits of Kaon happened to him?" he demanded.

"Lord Starscream, from all accounts, the late Lord Shatterquake lost control of his transformation sequences, propulsion, and flight controls simultaneously. It was nothing more than an accident." the medic said, his hands spread wide.

"Pitscrap." Starscream shot back. "There is no way that those three potentially fatal errors could occur simultaneously unless someone /engineered/ them to fail." Who had killed his creator and why?

"There was no evidence of tampering, my Lord. None whatsoever. It could have been caused by many things- an innate glitch, a power surge in his frame, his advanced age...any of that could cause system failures. You know this." The medic looked as if he truly believed what he was saying- Starscream could see that his wings proclaimed truth and sorrow at all this. He looked at Starscream and whispered something, and the young Seeker whipped his head around. "What was that?"

"So young, you are, to take on the burden."

Starscream frowned quizzically. "What burden are you referring to?"

The medic sighed. "Didn't anyone /tell/ you?"

"Tell me what? Stop being so slagging cryptic!"

"You are to undergo the Making in two joor's time." The medic gave Starscream a reassuring smile. "I will be there to assist, of course, and-"

Starscream froze. The Making? /He/ would be Winglord? That...he /couldn't/...Skyfire's mission.../his own/ mission... "No. No one asked me, and I refuse. I have a life to live, and an expedition into deep space planned in a decacycle. I refuse the Making." Starscream said somewhat petulantly.

"You cannot refuse. It's in your coding." The medic sounded shocked. "Lord Shatterquake groomed you as his replacement since /before/ you separated from Dawnstar."

The mention of his carrier made Starscream wince; he barely remembered him, except for his gentle voice singing him to recharge during the long offcycles. "Don't I have choices in my life? This is /my/ life, not Shatterquake's! He's been trying to control that since I was /sparked/, and now he's STILL doing it even though he's dead!" Starscream said, his voice rising into that nasal screech that so many teased him for.

"Star, listen to him. Vos needs a strong leader, and even more, it needs a leader who /isn't/ as insular and closed-minded as Shatterquake was." Another Seeker walked in- she was a handsome teal and grey, and larger than most femme Seekers due to her armor. Eclipse nodded at the medic and wrapped her arms around Starscream in a hug. He hugged back- Eclipse had been like a creator to him for a long time now, and he took her words to spark when he'd ignore others.

"You never did like him." Star muttered, and Eclipse shook her head. "No, I didn't. Your creator was an overblown aft, and more than once I told him that to his face so don't you look shocked over there, Triage." she said, both to the medic and to Starscream.

"What about my schooling? My expedition? Skyfire and I have been planning it for nearly a /vorn/, and we finally got approval and funding to do it!"

"Stop whining like a youngling and start looking for answers." Eclipse said, and Starscream had to smile. She never let him off easily, not even when he /had/ been a youngling. "I, personally, see no reason why you can't undergo the Making, and then go on your trip...providing you leave a qualified Regent to hold in your place while you're gone."

"They'll never allow that-"

"Starscream, how could they stop you if you're the Winglord?" Eclipse pointed out, and Starscream actually facepalmed. She was right, she was /so very/ right, and the idea made him laugh.

"I still don't like being shoved into this." he said to no one in particular."And you'll be my Regent." he said to Eclipse, who snorted.

"And here I thought that I'd quit politics vorns ago." she said, half-disgusted.

"If I don't get a choice, you don't either." Star pointed out.

"Winglord or no Winglord, I can still whip your aft into shape for being disrespectful to your elders, Starling." she said sweetly, and Starscream scowled at her use of the nickname.

"Fine, fine." Starscream said, scowling. "Lady Eclipse, would you do me the honor of standing in my place as Regent while I am offworld?" he said, complete with an overdone bow. The femme started laughing, shaking her head in assent. "'S more like it and more the way I taught you."

Starscream stuck out his glossa at Eclipse just because he could.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

"All parties are present with the requisite witnesses." Triage announced, and Starscream could feel something very close to fear settle in his tanks. What went on during a Making? The ritual itself was secret, known only to those trained to perform it and those who underwent it. Naturally, it wasn't common knowledge; Winglords didn't get replaced every vorn.

Starscream had been led to a bench and told to sit and watch and listen, and he was doing his best to do just that. His wings were raised high in ambivalence, though, and his optics were bright. Curious though Starscream was, he just wasn't certain of this. Were they just going to confer a title upon him and let him go? Were there imagecaps involved? His mind raced with possibilities.

He suddenly wished that he had a trine and then immediately regretted that, because he was with Skyfire. There could be no trine.

He started paying attention again, lest he miss something important. This was his /life/ now, after all.

There were only ten Seekers in the room, and Starscream recognized only three of them: Eclipse, Triage, and the old priest of Primus named Sparkfire. He looked at Starscream critically before offering him a single nod of respect. That surprised Starscream; he'd never been particularly religious, and his visits to the temple had always been perfunctory at best.

Oh, and Shatterquake's still form. It was also there, grey and dead upon a table that looked suspiciously like an altar. Star frowned- why did they need his creator's husk? It was more than a little grisly and he couldn't force himself to actually /look/ at Shatterquake for long.

"One has passed, and the time has come to bring a new Winglord into the song of the wind." Sparkfire intoned, and Starscream gazed at the priest, watching. "The bond a Winglord has with his people is inviolate and sacred; it cannot be torn asunder, nor can it be broken save by the death of he who holds it."

Bond? Oh /Pit/ no. Starscream stood, about to speak, and the priest stared him down, the look in his optics enough to quell even Starscream's legendary temper. Triage approached the husk of Starscream's creator and manually opened his chest, baring where his spark would have been if he were still alive. Starscream watched this, curious.

A very faint glow emanated from a place that Starscream was certain should have been darkened. His hand reached up, touching his lips, and he walked over to see exactly what the glow was. Was his creator actually alive? No, he couldn't be, not with those wounds, not with that trauma.

What was the glow?

Sparkfire spoke once more. "Young though he is, he is skilled. The people must /accept/ him or he will be rejected. The price of rejection is as it ever was."

Starscream stopped dead in his tracks. "And what is /that/?" he rasped, feeling more than a little weirded out by all this. It felt like an odd cult ritual, and Star wasn't sure that he liked it.

"If Vos does not accept you, then you will be cast out as unworthy." the priest said, and his tone was gentle. "The song of wind tears apart those who cannot master its nuances."

Starscream understood perfectly, and he felt vaguely ill at the thought. His tanks swirled uncomfortably, and his spark whirled in his chest. He stepped next to Triage to see what the medic was doing inside his deactivated creator's frame.

Inside, where the spark would have been, lay a tiny fragment of light. It had no form or mass, and it seemed to be growing dimmer with every pulse of Starscream's spark, yet it existed. He stared at in wonder, the colors shifting too quickly to call it a single color. It was all shades at once, twisting and turning into something that was more beautiful than anything Starscream had seen in his entire lifecycle. He gasped, and something welled up inside him and he /reached/ for it...and the medic let him, for this is what was supposed to occur.

The light hit Starscream and expanded, covering him with an aura that made him too bright to look upon. He felt as though he'd been gathered in the arms of every Seeker that was, all who lived. Forty-two thousand, eight hundred fifty two. That's how many Seekers lived, in Vos and elsewhere. Star hadn't realized they were so few, but he felt a strong sense of pride and solidarity, and that feeling was reinforced through the faint awareness of every other Seeker on Cybertron. The light examined Starscream, poking and prodding through his very being, and he felt something within himself expand and accept this burden/blessing, because it was then that he realized that /this/ is who he was meant to be.

Lord Starscream, Winglord of Vos.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

It had been a very long night. Thundercracker couldn't recharge, not with Starscream's predicament- no, Thundercracker, call it what it is, his /defilement/, he thought- on his mind. Whenever he thought about it on more than a superficial level, he began shaking with rage. He wanted to kill them both- Megatron for setting it up, Motormaster for /doing/ it, and yet here he was, powerless and caught in the Autobot medical bay.

Thundercracker rose from the berth and hit the wall hard enough to dent it, which woke Skywarp rather rudely.

"Primus. TC, what the frag's gotten into you?" Warp whined, not yet noticing the look on his trinemate's face. "Was rechargin' pretty good for once-" Skywarp had just sat up and it was then that he saw TC's face. His optics blazed with anger, and his wings were held high, as if in preparation for battle. Skywarp could feel the excess sonic energy coalescing in the air around them and he rose, actually looking concerned for once. "TC, talk to me. What's wrong? One of the Bots frag you off?" He knew what had happened with Ratchet last night- frag, he'd felt some of it through the trine bond, and he approved even if he's never have done it himself.

"Star." Thundercracker replied succinctly. "I have to get him out of there." Skywarp frowned; usually it was always /we/. TC was sure acting possessive all of a sudden. "Megs beat him up again?" he asked, only somewhat sympathetic. Skywarp loved his trinemate like a brother, but he was under the firm impression that Star brought a lot of that on himself for disobeying orders and being a general aft to their commanding officer.

Thundercracker gave Skywarp a Look that spoke of pain and suffering, along with a touch of disgust at Skywarp's blind loyalty. That was something they didn't discuss- how much Skywarp trusted and even revered Megatron, despite what he did to their trineleader. It was then that Thundercracker carefully schooled his emotions and told his trinemate a lie. It was a lie of omission rather than an outright falsehood...but it was more than TC had done in a long time.

"He's just hurt, Sky, and I'm worried about him. Especially because we're stuck /here/."

Skywarp nodded distractedly, opening the door to their room to retrieve morning rations for them both. TC looked out of the open doorway and didn't see Ratchet- he supposed that the medic was taking some much-needed recharge. It was enough that Ratchet allowed them out of their isolation room and into the medbay proper- it showed that he trusted them not to make mischief, that he /believed/ their promise.

Thundercracker appreciated that quite a bit. It certainly helped alleviate the claustrophobia.

Skywarp returned with two cubes of fresh energon, and TC sipped at his slowly, savoring it. All too soon, he knew, they'd be back on the Nemesis consuming fuel that was barely enough to keep him functional.

"I can't feel him, TC." Skywarp said, frowning. He'd gulped his cube down in record time, not having the inclination or the patience to drink it slowly. "Don't like that at all. An' it's not like a /recharge/ can't find him, it's like he's offline or something." He gave Thundercracker a hasty look, waving a hand. "Not deactivated, just, like, knocked out."

Thundercracker decided to give Skywarp a bit more information. "He's in stasis lock, Warp."

Skywarp's optics grew wide. "/STASIS/ lock? The frag did he do to deserve somethin' like /THAT/?" Thundercracker shot his youngest trinemate a murderous glare at his insensitivity.

"Who's in stasis lock?" Ratchet had just entered the room, carrying a datapad.

"Starscream, apparently." Skywarp said, and Thundercracker could almost feel Ratchet's optics boring holes through his plating. "Guess he really fragged off Lord Megatron again, tried to off him or somethin', I don't know...you'd think he'd learn not to after the hundredth beating, but Stars, he's stubborn." Skywarp explained, and Thundercracker gave Skywarp an incredulous glare before turning on one thruster heel and exiting the room before he did something he'd regret forever.

Ratchet's cerulean optics fixed themselves on Skywarp. "No one, no matter what, deserves to be beaten by his superior officer. Punishment, I understand, but it makes no sense to continually slag your Air Commander for each and every thing that goes wrong. Skywarp, you have a lot to learn. Open your fragging optics and /see/ for a change." By the time Ratchet finished, he was nearly yelling. The black and violet Seeker was staring at the medic, optics almost comically wide, his wings trembling at the tips.

Ratchet turned and exited the room in much the same way as Thundercracker had, the door clicking shut behind him.

The blue Seeker had his back to Ratchet, his wings literally shaking, his hands holding on to the edge of a medberth tightly enough to dent the railing. "My own trinemate." Thundercracker said softly, knowing Ratchet was listening. "How can he be so blind?"

"Loyalty's like that." Ratchet said. "It can make you overlook things...and as you said, Skywarp doesn't see the things that you do. Starscream hides it from him, doesn't he?"

"...Yes." Thundercracker admitted. "He said it was to spare him. He tries to do it with me, but..." He shrugged one shoulder. Ratchet understood completely; Starscream couldn't stifle their sparkbond.

"He'll see one day, Thundercracker." Ratchet said, hoping that it wasn't a lie. He hesitated before speaking again, but he felt it was the right thing to do. "You could...retrieve him and come back here. Prime gives asylum even to high-ranked Decepticons if they truly wish to change. And if we had him here, Perceptor and Wheeljack and I can begin seeing about his processor."

Thundercracker turned around and faced the smaller medic, his wings now stiff with emotion. "I...Starscream would never become an Autobot. I am not certain that /I/ would ever become an Autobot either. The name is tainted with the fluids of thousands of Seekers, and I-"

"You don't have to take our oaths, doofus." Ratchet said acerbically. And Thundercracker wondered idly what a 'doofus' was. "You would just have to behave...much as you have been doing since you've been here, and not betray us to the 'Cons."

"It's that simple, is it?" TC said skeptically. "Nothing is /that/ easy."

"No, it wouldn't be easy." Ratchet said truthfully. "It would take a lot of work to get people here to trust you. You would have to earn that, and that's something nobody but you can do. You would likely be forced to give up your weapons, and for a time you would likely have to wear a constant monitor beacon." When he saw the look on Thundercracker's face at that, he gave the Seeker a falsely sweet grin. "Oh, can it, Seeker. At least you'd get to /fly/."

Thundercracker had to admit that that didn't sound all that bad. And Starscream might be safe...

"They wouldn't execute us for war crimes?" That was a very real worry; the Elite Trine had committed many, /many/ atrocities during the war in the name of the Decepticon Empire.

Ratchet sighed. "I can't guarantee any of this. The only person who can is Prime. I just know what our procedures are, and I feel I am honor-bound to put the idea out there." He gave Thundercracker a serious look.

"Thundercracker, you're /not/ a Decepticon. You may wear their sigil and fight their battles, but it's not in your spark to be as most of them tend to be- cold, ruthless killers who are hellbent on taking all that they can before leaving in a blaze of destruction. You're different. And I think you know that, and that's why you are the way you are."

"You have /honor/."

Thundercracker felt something well up in his spark at that- pride and determination. What Ratchet had said...it might be true. He wasn't certain yet, but the possibility existed.

He gave the medic a smile, a /real/ smile, and Ratchet returned it.

Skywarp, however, frowned deeply as he stood, watching and listening from the open door of their temporary quarters. He...didn't like this. He didn't like this one bit.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Optimus Prime sat in his command chair, having commed the Nemesis just two kliks previously. Megatron was taking his sweet-aft time getting to the command center, Prime reflected. It just went to show how /little/ he cared for his people. The Seekers had been 'guests' of the Ark for five solar cycles now; if the situation had been reversed, Prime would have started negotiations upon realizing one of his mechs had been captured.

Finally, the viewscreen flashed on, revealing the visage of his nemesis. Bucket-Head certainly was an appropriate nickname; Megatron's helm /did/ look like one of those steel buckets the humans used for various projects.

"Ah, Prime. So /good/ to hear from you." Megatron sneered in his raspy voice. He never referred to Optimus by his given name, it was always Prime. Optimus wondered why that was, but he'd never gotten a satisfactory answer.

"Cut the false pleasantries, Megatron. I have two of your Elite Seekers."

"Elite /fools/, but yes, I would rather they be /here/ instead of /there/." the warlord said dismissively. "I suppose you actually /want/ something in exchange for them."

Optimus Prime steepled his fingers and sighed, keeping his temper in check. It was never easy to do with his brother...

"Unhindered usage of the spacebridge for a decacycle and a cease-fire for just as long." Prime said. It was a longshot, but he figured he'd better go high or go home. There was the off-chance that Megatron would agree to it, after all.

"You want /what/? Keep them at that price!" Megatron snarled, acting as if he were going to cut the comm. That behavior was /very/ familiar to Prime, though, so he just sat back and waited it out, his battle mask a blessing in times like these.

"Fine, we will." Prime shrugged. "The Aerialbots seem /very/ interested in the idea of your Seekers' attack patterns and specs...perhaps we can use that to upgrade our own air force." That was a calculated falsehood; Prime would never subject a prisoner to the kind of processor scan that that would require, and Megatron knew that /he/ wouldn't do it...but he also knew that Prime's head of Special Ops had /no/ such compunctions and would do it in a sparkpulse if it'd give the Bots an advantage that they so desperately needed.

Megatron actually snarled, getting more angry by the moment. The Seeker at the comm center (Dirge, if Prime remembered right) looked like he wanted to be anywhere but where he was, and even Soundwave had taken a few steps back, ostensibly to examine a console that was /much/ farther away.

"Both of your demands for an Earth week and not a nanoklik more." Megatron counteroffered, and Prime had to control his emotions very carefully. This was a lot more than he'd expected to get, and he couldn't afford to seem /too/ eager.

He wasn't letting this get away, though, so he made his decision. He nodded firmly at Megatron. "Deal accepted. When and where do you want your mechs?"

"Meet me at the salt flats in exactly one joor." Megatron said, glaring at the Prime. "The cease-fire begins the moment that my Seekers are returned to me."

Optimus nodded again; that sounded fair, more fair than he expected. Still, he'd be on his guard. He himself would escort the fliers along with a hand-picked team of mechs.

"I have much to do to prepare for this. Optimus Prime out." he said, cutting the comm before Megatron had a chance to speak again. Prime didn't want to hear the mech's voice again; he was getting a massive processor-ache already.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

"All right, you two. Clear out. Prime's taking you to go back to the Nemesis in a few." Ratchet called out, rousing Skywarp from a brief nap and Thundercracker from staring out the window. The need to fly was almost palpable, and he knew that he'd be airborne soon due to Ratchet's words.

Both Seekers exited the room and were surprised to see Ratchet holding four cubes of energon, two for each of them. "Drink up. I'm not gonna be accused of starving you two while you were here." he said gruffly, and Thundercracker had to smile at that. Skywarp, true to form, merely gulped both down and dispersed the fields without a second thought...or a word of thanks. Thundercracker gave his trinemate a withering look that Skywarp didn't register and he turned to Ratchet.

"Thank you, Ratchet. For everything." he said, meaning every single word.

"Told you it was just my job." Ratchet said, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Don't need thanks for doing my work."

"It was how you went about it that mattered, Ratchet." Thundercracker said, giving Ratchet's shoulder a friendly caress. "I will...take what you have said into consideration." he said, too softly for Skywarp to hear.

"I know you will." Ratchet said simply. "Now get out of my medbay and let me get some real work done, will you?" The medic snorted and turned around just as Jazz and Bumblebee walked into the medbay.

"Here t'pick up a couple'a wandering Seekers, Ratch." Jazz said as a greeting. Ratchet didn't even /look/ at the two Autobots, only jerking a thumb at TC and Skywarp in silence. Jazz gave Ratchet an odd look but motioned for the fliers to come with him.

Skywarp sighed. "Thank Primus we're gettin' away from all this slagging ORANGE." he remarked, his wings twitching in anticipation of flight. Thundercracker merely nodded, curious about Ratchet's reaction to them leaving. He though about it, and realized that he would...miss talking to the medic. Maybe it was the same for Ratchet. TC didn't know for sure.

Skyfire waited outside, as he was to be their transport to the meeting place. Skywarp opened his mouth to say something that would have undoubtedly been incredibly rude, but Thundercracker glared at him, sending a firm denial through the trine bond which actually made Skywarp stop, though he /did/ pout a bit over it.

Optimus Prime sat across from Thundercracker, and he gave the blue Seeker a significant look. From all accounts, Thundercracker was /not/ the loyal Decepticon most thought him to be; intel suggested that he was a 'Con only because his trinemates were. He /was/ fiercely devoted to his trine- on the few occasions when he /had/ shown proper Decepticon-like violence, it had been the result of someone harming one of his trinemates.

Thundercracker similarly looked at Optimus Prime. Was it true, was /this/ Prime was different, despite the fact that he carried all previous Primes within him? Did he honestly care about his mechs' well-being, or were they simply cannon fodder like most of the 'Cons were to Megatron?

Did he abuse his officers just because he could? Did his SIC spend as much time in medbay as in the briefing room?

These questions and more whirled through TC's meta as they finally landed with a gentle 'thunk'.

Skywarp and Thundercracker were escorted out of Skyfire, though this was largely a formality at this point. Once all his passengers had exited, the shuttleformer transformed as well, his size making him a formidable deterrent all by himself.

Megatron was already there, along with the Conehead trine, Onslaught, and Blast Off. He stood there sneering at his two wayward Seekers, and Skywarp's wingtips drooped just a little at the very obvious displeasure of his commanding officer.

TC didn't really give a damn, if he was being honest with himself.

Jazz took the handcuffs off and then offered each Seeker a code-chip. "This will remove the inhibitor placed upon your flight subroutines." he said solemnly, and both Seekers looked wary enough that their leader just snarled. "Get /on/ with it, that's standard procedure!"

They'd never been captured long enough to have this happen, so it was new. TC sent a wordless pulse of reassurance to Skywarp as he inserted the chip, which his antivirus proclaimed was clean and just what Jazz had said it was. His flight controls were green for go, and by the look on Skywarp's face, his were as well.

Prime just looked at the Seekers, always feeling a bit sad at times like these. He wished each time that their prisoners would see that the way that they lived on the Nemesis was wrong, that they'd stay and at least become Neutrals. Without that, there was no chance for Cybertron to become whole again.

Skywarp actually laughed, his thrusters firing already. "Lord Megatron, permission to fly back home?"

Megatron actually seemed to /think/ about it, and TC scowled at his commander, determined to fly whether he liked it or not. The silver mech finally nodded, glancing at the other 'Cons.

"Decepticons, to the Nemesis." he said coldly, his optics sliding over the two Elite Trine members in a way that made Thundercracker's tanks roil, even as full as they were.

Skywarp didn't notice. He was far too busy getting himself into the air, and Thundercracker sighed deeply, following him. His ambivalence and worry kept him from enjoying his first flight in five cycles, though, and he worried for what he would find once he stepped into medbay to see Starscream.

He didn't worry for himself, of course.

The flight back was uneventful, and Thundercracker entered the tower ahead of the others. Skywarp was still happily doing loops and twirls in the air, overjoyed to be in the sky and trusting that Thundercracker would check on their trineleader and let Skywarp know what was going on. TC wasn't sure that he wanted Skywarp there, anyway, not with what he feared had happened.

The medbay doors slid open to admit the blue Seeker, and he was greeted by the large and unlovely form of Mixmaster rising to block his path.

"You broken? No? Then get the frag out." the Constructicon spat.

"Frag off." Thundercracker advised. "My trineleader is in there and I am /going/ to see him." His tone indicated that 'no' was not an acceptable answer.

"No visitors. That comes from higher up than you, ya know." Mixmaster said, smiling gleefully.

"I don't particularly care." The Seeker's deep voice was soft, but inside he felt a bit of desperation well up. "Do you like your audials and your plating?"

"Huh? What kind of question is /that/?"

Thundercracker continued in that same silky voice. "You like to experiment, I hear. How about /I/ experiment for a bit and see what my sonics can do to an obstinate Constructicon in an enclosed area." His expression was flat and his optics cold. Mixmaster saw this and took a step back; he'd seen the results of seriously torquing Thundercracker off, and it /wasn't/ pretty.

"Uh, no thanks, I'm good." he said weakly.

"Then /get the slag out of my way/."

Mixmaster hurriedly stepped aside, but he sent a warning through the gestalt bond to Hook. He wasn't gonna be happy about this, not one bit. Hook sent back a /very/ irritated pulse that warred with the arousal he was feeling; the crane was interfacing with Bonecrusher and wasn't planning on stopping. What could Thundercracker do in a joor with a stasis-locked Seeker?

Mixmaster shrugged and went back to the television set he'd set up in the far corner of the hangar-bay; he'd done his duty, and frag if he was going to include getting sonic blasted on his to-do list.

Thundercracker approached the berth that had been placed against the far wall, away from the entrance. At least Hook had done that much, TC reflected...and then he got a good look at exactly what had happened to Starscream. His jaw dropped as he cataloged each and every dent, every scratch and scrape, everything that marred the once-beautiful plating that Thundercracker loved to touch.

He looked almost dead, and if not for the feeling of him in Thundercracker's spark, he would think that he was just by the look of him. Starscream was in sorry shape, and Thundercracker's temper flared even /more/ when he realized that no one had even bothered to clean the Air Commander up. He was still covered in Motormaster's transfluid. Thunderracker's hand shook as he unsubspaced a cloth that had been soaked in solvent, and it shook even more as he began to gently clean this evidence of the assault from his trinemate...his /bondmates's/ plating.

He didn't even care who was listening. "He's going to pay, Star." TC whispered, wiping gently around a gouge that went almost as deep as the protoform. "Killing is too good for him. I can't believe...Star..." He forced himself to keep control of his emotions, because he knew he /wasn't/ alone in here. Others would notice his care and remark about it, but that could be explained away. If he were weak enough to show too much, though... The threats were expected. The desire for revenge encouraged. The love?

That was to be cast out at all costs.

Thundercracker refused to do that, and it was then that he knew what he had to do. He took a shuddering breath as he gazed down at the slack face of his trineleader, glancing around to see if anyone was watching. No one was, as far as TC could see, so he ran his hand down the undented side of Starscream's dark face, the tenderness in the gesture unmistakeable. "I will help you, Star, I swear this on my spark." he said softly, and then he was shocked as another voice followed his own. A visor gleamed in the dim light, and Thundercracker squinted, trying to see who it was.

"I'm going to help Star too." the mech said.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the next installment of Trine, just finished a few moments ago. Hope you all like it! Though this one has a bit of song attached to it...it just feels so appropriate to this chapter and the situations in general.
> 
> Who's gonna fight for what's right?  
> Who's gonna help us survive?  
> We're in the fight of our lives  
> And we're not ready to die
> 
> Who's gonna fight for the weak?  
> Who's gonna make 'em believe?  
> I've got a hero, I've got a hero  
> Living in me
> 
> I'm gonna fight for what's right  
> Today I'm speaking my mind  
> And if it kills me tonight  
> I will be ready to die
> 
> A hero's not afraid to give his life  
> A hero's gonna save me just in time
> 
> -Hero, Skillet
> 
> Warnings for this chapter- language, discussions of noncon, slash obviously, violence
> 
> Pairings: The usual
> 
> Disclaimer- Ain't mine.
> 
> Shoutout to Jarakrisafis for her assistance in Things Skywarp Thinks About, and for Katea-Nui for insights on Dead End's personality. Thank you bbys!

"Show yourself." Thundercracker demanded, his wings hiked high in distress and shock. He'd just /looked/ and no one had been there! The figure stepped more fully into the light and Thundercracker couldn't help but stare, his jaw dropping as he realized the implications.

"Close your mouth." Dead End said morosely. "If you don't, a scraplet or something might take it as an invitation to make your frame its home and you'll die horribly." The mech shrugged. "We're all doomed anyway, but I personally would prefer a more...dignified end." The blue Seeker closed his mouth, giving Dead End an extremely odd look.

"Why are you-" Thundercracker began to ask, and Dead End slashed his finger across his throat, pointing to Mixmaster, who wasn't paying attention. TC lowered his voice. "Why are you /helping/ me...helping /him/? You hate Starscream!"

Dead End's visor flashed as he paused, formulating an answer. "Because nobody deserves that." he said finally. "You get the Air Commander; I have the idiot." The Porche silently walked into the larger main area of medbay, intent on something that Thundercracker wasn't sure of. The Seeker knew one thing, though- it would be infinitely easier to get Starscream off the Nemesis if he had aid, rather than alone.

It was sad that he wasn't certain that Skywarp would help, not in this.

Dead End got behind Mixmaster and balled up both his hands, hitting the mech at the juncture of his shoulder and neck. It did the trick- the larger mech fell over, optics darkened, and the visored mech gave Thundercracker a triumphant look from behind his violet visor, the light brightening with some emotion that wasn't particularly clear to the Seeker.

He didn't really /care/ what Dead End was feeling, if he were being totally honest with himself; he just wanted to get Starscream off this ship before anyone discovered what he was doing. He looked down at the soon to be former SIC and sighed; there was no way to pick him up without causing pain. Thundercracker murmured an apology before picking Starscream up in a bridal-style hold, and the dark-faced Seeker moaned in pain even in his offline state.

"Star, stay with me." TC said softly. Dead End wiped his hands off as if he'd touched something disgusting before jerking his helm toward the door. "I'll look first, see who's comin'. Security cameras are your job though, I can't do slag about that. They don't put us on the command deck." Thundercracker knew why, too- the Stunticons, to a mech, were far to erratic to be trusted with even monitor duty.

The blue Seeker cursed loudly, startling the Porche for an instant. The cameras. He'd /forgotten/ that little detail. There was one even here, recording everything that had went on...yet no one had come. No grouping of mechs came to stop Thundercracker...which meant that Megatron didn't yet know. He'd had to have returned already; Thundercracker hadn't flown that far ahead. Soundwave was still onboard as well.

Thundercracker then received a comm, and his spark whirled when he realized who it had came from.

/Thrust to Wingsecond Thundercracker. Do not respond. Security cameras manned by my trinemates. So do what you gotta do. Just fragging hurry, Ramjet can't keep that slagging telepath busy all day. Thrust out./

Thundercracker's lips turned up in a slight smile. They were doing what they could, even if they didn't believe in it. Thundercracker wasn't sure that they'd be helping to this extent if they actually knew where he was planning on taking Starscream, but that was just fine with Thundercracker. He wasn't telling anyone. Maybe not even Skywarp, if Skywarp even came across them.

He thought about his flighty trinemate for a moment as he walked through the halls, escorted by an increasingly nervous Dead End. The Stunticon had already had to threaten several mechs from walking down TC's path, and his resolve, never strong to begin with, was wearing thin. Skywarp was younger than either TC or Starscream, and he was far more loyal to Lord Megatron than they were as well. He believed that Star /invited/ the beatings, and that if he'd only stop trying to take over that they would stop. He didn't know the rest or even believe that Megatron /wanted/ Star that way. It had never occurred to him that Starscream was shielding him to protect his trine, either, which showed that Star had done too well a job.

What would Skywarp do if he saw Thundercracker and Starscream now?

The blue Seeker didn't know, but he hadn't run across his trinemate yet either. Neither had Dead End, and they were now at the tower controls. Dirge was also there, and he took one look at Starscream and almost purged. With shaking hands, he activated the airlock and raised the tower so that they could get free.

'Wingsecond, I..." Dirge said, clearly uncomfortable.

"You know nothing. It is safer that way." Thundercracker said. "That is an order." The Conehead nodded somewhat gratefully; that wouldn't save him /all/ the punishment but it could help some. He turned to Dead End, who looked as though he wanted to forget this had ever happened. "Dead End, I-"

"I know, you'll scrap me if I tell anyone how you forced me to help you on pain of deactivation. I don't know why I listened, because we're all doomed anyway, but I guess I didn't want to deactivate in a pool of my own purged energon." Dead End said, his optics bright behind the visor. Thundercracker's optics widened and he just nodded, shifting Starscream in preparation for flight. He'd have to be careful, flying with him like this. He wasn't going to cheapen what Dead End had done with words; he'd leave it at that.

The blue Seeker gave one last look at Dirge and Dead End before taking flight, Starscream securely in his arms.

The tower lowered behind him and Thundercracker allowed himself a sigh of relief; no one had followed. Yet.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Skywarp was happier than Pit to be OUT of that slagging medbay, with those slagging Autodorks. The sky felt GOOD...but where the frag was TC at? He did a triple-loop, feeling as though he could stay out here for joors...which he likely could, due to the energon that the medic...Hatchet, whatever it was, had given them just before their release. Skywarp was pretty happy about that too, though TC of course had gotten all prissy and thanked the groundpounder for that, and then whispered something to him after. Warp supposed that that was because they'd 'faced; maybe TC wanted a round two later on sometime. Skywarp supposed that he wouldn't mind too much if his trinemate did- 'facing was only 'facing, and from the sounds of it TC had enjoyed himself. Even if it /had/ been with a grounder and Autobot.

Skywarp considered all this as well as the probable vectors of three separate warp jumps; how much adhesive it would take to glue Long Haul's pedes to the floor for exactly two joors; how much high grade it might take to get TC to lighten up a little (calculations on this were ongoing; Warp had never come up with a definitive answer); what would happen if he repainted the Nemesis and if so, what color would look best; how hard it would be to set up a high grade distillery without getting A) caught or B) blowing himself up; and of course who was he gonna find as his next berth partner because it sure as frag wasn't gonna be his pole-up-aft trinemates.

Then he felt the tug on his trine bond and saw TC carrying the Screamer and he frowned. What the /frag/ was he /doing/?

He sped up and caught up, which wasn't hard; Thundercracker was flying more slowly than usual because of his burden. Thundercracker looked straight ahead, not even seeming to /notice/ Skywarp and Skywarp scowled; what the frag was he doing, ignoring him that way! They were /trine/!

"TeeCee, what in the name of Primus are you doing?!" he said, the wind not much of a hindrance to his voice as high up as they were flying.

"I am taking Starscream somewhere." Thundercracker's tone was cold, even icy. Warp frowned again. Didn't he /trust/ Skywarp anymore? He got a better look at Starscream and he gasped, coming closer, almost close enough to touch. "WHAT THE SLAG HAPPENED TO HIM?" Warp cried, and it was then that he saw the half-dead, half-devastated look on his trinemate's face.

"Megatron had him punished, but it wasn't just a beating." Thundercracker said from behind clenched denta. "I don't even know what he did- presumably it was because he /allowed/ us to get captured." Skywarp opened his mouth, but Thundercracker's optics blazed hotly enough to silence him. "Megatron didn't do it with his own hand- Motormaster did. At Megatron's behest. He was violated, Skywarp."

Skywarp stared. "No way." At first, Thundercracker thought that he was saying it in disbelief, but his next words belied the statement. "No, he wouldn't do that, TC. Star must have started running his mouth or tried to shoot him again, and he just slagged him like normal. He wouldn't do that. No slaggin' way."

Thundercracker would have whirled him midair if he could. "Skywarp, the evidence is right in front of you. Starscream. Was. Raped. Taken and raped and tormented while that-that /tyrant/, that /madmech/ watched! There were /witnesses/!" The wave of anger he shoved toward Skywarp was genuine and hot and harder than any emotion he'd ever pushed though the bond, even his caring- he was that angry and that affected.

"I don't believe it, Thundercracker. Lord Megatron wouldn't /do/ that." Skywarp said, and his own optics blazed with disbelief and anger.

"Starscream would tell you if he could. He can't. He's offline and may not even /come/ back online, and do you even care? NO! You believe in that fragging...that /fucking bastard/ back on that ship! Fine! Believe in him instead of in your trineleader who has /protected/ you from a fate very like this one, and go back to him! We will be trine no more, Skywarp. I'll dissolve the bond once Starscream is able, if he ever is." Thundercracker shook in the sky- the sky where he held Starscream, limp and unresponsive. He didn't allow Skywarp to respond- he was far too angry to hear another word from him, and he sped up, flying toward the only place of safety that he knew of.

Toward Ratchet and his offer. Toward the Autobots.

Skywarp stared, unable to process Thundercracker's words. He wouldn't dissolve their trine bond,he was taking Star somewhere to heal, that's all. He wouldn't tear apart something older than the civilization on this mudball they were stuck on over /this/. He wouldn't.

He kept telling himself that as he flew back to the Nemesis, feeling uneasy despite the reassurances his own mind gave him.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"Sir, there's a comm coming in, Decepticon in origin." Perceptor said to Jazz, who frowned slightly and nodded to the scientist manning the comms. "Patch it in."

/I need Ratchet./ the voice said, and Jazz stared at the speaker, shocked at who he knew it had to be. Tones and even voices were something Jazz didn't forget easily, and he'd just heard this one not four joor before, when he led the Seekers back to meet with Megatron at the salt flats. "That Thundercracker?" he asked Perceptor, who worked at getting a visual of the outside airspace around the Ark.

"Yes, but he's carrying something...some/one/. I believe that is /Starscream/ in his arms." Perceptor said, clearly mystified.

Jazz frowned deeply. "Th' pit is that Seeker doing...? Decepticon, slow your decent and identify yourself and yer purpose." Jazz commed to Thundercracker, who indeed slowed down, hovering somewhat clumsily with his burden.

"My designation is Thundercracker, and I am likely no longer welcome with the Decepticons. I wish to speak to Ratchet." the Seeker said firmly.

Jazz shrugged and pinged medbay. "Ratch, I got a visitor outside who wants t'talk t'you."

The medic looked up sharply. "I'll be right there." He put down the datapad he was working with and hurried to the command center, his optics widening when he saw just who was hovering outside the Ark. Without bothering to ask Perceptor or Jazz what was going on, he contacted Thundercracker.

"Thundercracker, is this what I think it is?"

The blue Seeker responded. "Ratchet, I...Starscream..."

The medic could hear the sheer tiredness in the deep voice and he glared at the rest of the command staff. "Let him in."

"WHAT?!" Jazz said, incredulously.

"I didn't stutter, Jazz. Let. Him. In. He isn't going to cause trouble. He's going straight to medbay."

"He's a slagging /Con/, Ratch-"

"Not anymore, if I read him right." He pressed the comm button. "Thundercracker, approach. I'll have someone escort you to medbay." Ratchet eyed everyone, almost daring them to speak. "I think I'll go meet him, in fact." He walked off the command deck without so much as a goodbye, leaving several very stunned and confused Autobots in his wake. Perceptor just looked at Jazz, who stared back.

"Guess I'd better at least tell Prime we're gonna have a couple'a Cons in the medbay /again/."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Skywarp entered the tower, still feeling rather uneasy about his confrontation with Thundercracker. Stars sure had looked awfully bad...but did he really have to /take/ him someplace? Wouldn't the best place for him be medbay where Hook could work on him? Skywarp didn't know slag-all about medical matters- Stars had always made sure he got fixed, either by shoving him into medbay or fixing it himself. This just didn't make any SENSE, even to Skywarp's convoluted processing...and oh slag who was going to fix his warp gate? Skywarp stopped dead in the middle of the hallway as he contemplated that for a few moments. He was nothing without it- even his DESIGNATION said so!

He stared at nothing for awhile longer until a loud series of noises broke his reverie, and suddenly he was slammed against the wall by his neck, gasping and flailing about before he recalled that no, he COULD NOT warp out of this one...and when he saw who it was, he was grateful that he didn't.

Megatron snarled, his face mere inches from Skywarp's, "WHERE IN THE SLAG ARE YOUR WINGMATES?"

"Uhh...Lord Megatron...I have no-"

"Liar!" He punched the Seeker in the face, hard, and Skywarp stiffened in pain. It was to his credit that he didn't cry out, because he /wasn't/ used to this treatment in the least. He still tried to explain, to reassure...even if it was a lie. "Lord Megatron, I just got back! I haven't seen either of them!" He shivered as the blazing red optics seared through him, and something in his expression must have convinced the tyrant because he dropped Skywarp to the floor in a heap.

"If you see Thundercracker, tell him... Tell him that I wish to /speak/ with him." Megatron's smile was far from reassuring.

I just /bet/ you do. Skywarp thought uncharitably. He knew /exactly/ what was going on, but slag if he was going to squeal on his trine. "Yes, my lord." is what he said, though, carefully picking himself off the floor.

"You are the only Seeker remaining who is loyal." the Slagmaker said offhandedly, and Skywarp just stared. "I...uh..."

"The Coneheads helped him, you know. And they're paying for it even now. How would you like to be Air Commander, Skywarp? Would you like that?" His tone was almost gentle, and Skywarp resisted the urge to get away. He had never wanted to be able to teleport more in his life than he did now. Air Commander? Fragging pits, he could barely /take/ orders let alone give them! Still, one did NOT refuse such a thing from Megatron lest he wonder why. "I, um, could give it my best shot." he replied after it became clear that Megatron was waiting on an answer.

"Good, good. Your trinemates are traitors, you know. A /good and loyal/ Air Commander will root out such and report it to his superiors." Skywarp would have to be as stupid as people thought he was not to understand THAT, and he merely nodded. Traitors? Well, he guessed that Starscream maybe was, he kept trying to kill Megatron off after all, but not Thundercracker...he was quiet and didn't care.

The trine bond was still there and Starscream was still alive. This he knew. He still wasn't going to tell Megatron. "I...I understand, sir." he did say, his wings twitching as the emotions ran over him. It was a good thing Soundwave stayed out of his mind, he thought, because otherwise he'd be fragged twice and buried.

"Air Commander Skywarp, your Seekers are in medbay and likely will be there for the next few cycles. Consult with the triplechangers on battle strategy." Megatron ordered, and Skywarp stiffened and thought that he just might be fragged anyway. "Yes, Lord Megatron." he said, knowing that this was going to be a Pit of a lot harder than it looked.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Ratchet made it to the Ark's entrance before Thundercracker landed, and he stared at both Seekers as he got his first glance at Starscream's injuries. "What in the name of Primus-"

"Ratchet, I will explain, but please...he's in a great deal of pain." Thundercracker said softly, and the medic nodded once before blaring on his comms. "Out of the way, medical emergency! First Aid, I-"

Thundercracker called out, "Please. No. Just you." His tone was desperate.

Ratchet muttered a curse and told First Aid to stand by. "Why?"

"I...don't want everyone seeing him like this." TC admitted.

Ratchet seemed to consider that, and something within him must have agreed for he commed First Aid back and informed him to handle all nonemergent calls until told otherwise. The Protectobot agreed, though the questions were in his voice, as they hurried toward Ratchet's domain rather silently.

Once they arrived and Thundercracker had laid Starscream on a berth, Ratchet hooked him up to an intensive scanner and began cataloging his injuries. His frown grew more and more as the readings flowed across the screen, and as soon as Ratchet had hooked him up to a mild painkiller drip he rounded on Thundercracker.

"He was tortured, or something close to it." Ratchet said flatly, and the anger was plain in both his tone and his expression.

"He was taken against his will at Megatron's command." Thundercracker corrected. "By a sadist."

"Who, so I know who to shoot first?" The medic /wasn't/ joking.

"Motormaster." the Seeker replied, feeling exhausted after carrying them both here. "May I stay under the same strictures as before-"

"You may stay under different ones." Ratchet said. "You /are/ here to stay?"

Thundercracker paused. Thought about Skywarp, left on the Nemesis. Then he looked at Starscream on the berth.

"Yes. I am here to stay."


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After too long a time... I have update if anyone cares. <3

Starscream still lay insensate in medbay.

Ratchet had told Thundercracker that the tricolored Seeker was repaired to the best of the medic's capabilities and that he wasn't sure why he was still in stasis. The consensus was that Starscream didn't /want/ to awaken yet.

Thundercracker didn't blame him, not really. Not after what he'd been through. He supposed that he really wouldn't want to online either, especially because Starscream had no idea he'd been taken away from the Nemesis. Primus alone knew what he would do once he discovered that little fact.

Histrionics were to be expected, a hissy fit damned near a certainty. That is, if Starscream still retained enough of himself after the attack. Thundercracker wouldn’t be surprised if Starscream’s mind had finally broken; he’d been expecting it for vorn now.

And it was all the fault of one megalomaniac bent on having what was never his to begin with.

The blue Seeker stood over his trineleader….no, /bondmate/, and sighed. Ratchet heard the sound and cocked an optic ridge in TC’s direction, but he waved it away with another deep intake of breath. There was literally nothing he could do, short of shocking Starscream’s systems with a forced merge… and that would almost be worse than what had been done to him already.

“I spoke to Wheeljack and Perceptor.” Ratchet said softly. “If they can gain Starscream’s permission, they think they can lessen the impact of the core programming hack.” 

Thundercracker placed his right hand on Star’s shoulder almost absently. “He’ll agree. I’ll see to it.”

“No coercion!” Ratchet said almost angrily. “We went /over/ this, Thundercracker. You will /not/ use your bond to get him to do this. He’ll agree on his own, or by Primus, I’ll make you wish you hadn’t been sparked!” 

Despite the comment, Thundercracker’s lips curled in the approximation of a smile. “Ratchet, I don’t think I could merge with him right now even if he begged me. It wouldn’t be good for him. I will /speak/ to him. Nothing more. It’s going to be enough of a shock when he realizes where he is.”

The frame beneath his hand twitched, then shuddered in a paroxysm of something undefinable. Starscream’s right hand shot up and grabbed Thundercracker by the throat and the tricolored Seeker screamed, the sound utterly inhuman and /terrified/. Thundercracker choked and instinctively tried to pull back, but Starscream’s grip was born of madness and fear.

Crimson optics onlined and /glowed/. “I’LL KILL YOU, GET AWAY GET AWAY GET AWAY FROM ME!” 

Thundercracker’s spark /twisted/ at that, even though he knew that Starscream wasn’t himself right now. As calmly as he could manage, hoarse because of the grip, he spoke. “Star. Star, it’s /me/. Let go. I can’t get away. You have my throat. You are safe.”

The grip grew tighter, and the Seeker stared at Thundercracker. Ratchet rushed to the bedside, away from Starscream’s gaze, a sedative-laden hypo in hand. TC raised his hand in a ‘no’ gesture, and Ratchet frowned.   
//TC, he’s going to hurt you-“

//No, he won’t.// the blue flier replied via comm.

Starscream’s grip relaxed fractionally. “Don’t touch me don’t touch me get away!” With all the strength he could muster, he let go and shoved Thundercracker backward. Starscream’s gaze was wild as he twisted around and scanned his surroundings, crouching defensively on the berth. “I swear by Primus you will all die if you don’t let me go.” 

Ratchet couldn’t take it anymore. “Starscream, we’re trying to /help/ you.” he said calmly. Crimson optics steadied themselves on the medic, and a twisted grin lit the dark faceplates in a way that made Thundercracker want to cry. “He gave me to the fragging /Autobots/?”

“Starscream!” Thundercracker shouted. “Primus above and below.” 

“……TC?” Starscream glanced toward the familiar voice, the voice that had always been there…. and he felt the presence within. “Thunder, what… I…..” His wings twitched madly, and he relaxed just a bit. Thundercracker placed a hand on Star’s shoulder and removed it just as quickly when the Seeker flinched as if burned. “Don’t touch me!” Star snarled, shuddering.

The touch burned within Starscream’s mind, memories of his recent ordeal flooding back. He could feel the pain, the humiliation, and he screamed again, the sound piercing and filled with anguish. Ratchet flinched but stood firm; TC stood still, his face schooled into a perfect mask, hiding all the pain that Star had unwittingly inflicted with those simple words.

He ached to fly to the Nemesis and violently offline those responsible. He looked at Ratchet, who looked just as helpless as he felt. 

Broken bodies, Ratchet could fix. Broken minds? That was just as much up to Primus himself as it was to Ratchet.

~/.~/.~

This sucked slag.

Why had he accepted the position of Air Commander, anyway? Skywarp snorted. Oh, yeah. He remembered. He hadn’t had a choice.

He simply wasn’t made for this, though slag if he was going to admit it to those aftheads that called themselves the Coneheads. They’d only be worse. At least Skywarp had half a processor.

Those three? Maybe had a quarter if you counted all three.

Air Commander Skywarp gazed at his fliers and stifled a sigh. This was fragging Starscream’s job, TC’s if Star got slagged to the Pit. Not Skywarp. Skywarp followed orders, not gave them… and for good reason.

Most people thought Skywarp was a moron, but the truth was that Sky’s processing power was mostly tied into his warp gate, assessing and discarding possibilities just as easily as most mechs took fuel.   
“All right. Who’s here? If ya ain’t, then your aft is mine.” He stated half-sparkedly.

“Don’tcha have optics, Warp?” Vortex called, cackling.

“Mute it, aftshaft.” Warp advised, and his spark wasn’t even in the insult and it showed. His wings weren’t at their usual perk, and his face lacked the slightly malicious grin that most expected from Skywarp. “I’m your commander now an’ you damned well better listen.”

The copter stood belligerently. “Fragging Seeker. I take orders from my team leader, not a member of a traitor trine.”

“THEY’RE NOT TRAITORS.” Skywarp shouted, not thinking. The entire room full of Decepticon fliers stared at him. “What I mean is that we have no proof of where Stars…Starscream and Thundercracker went. Can’t call ‘em traitor when we don’t know. An’ that’s an order.” 

“Cams showed that gloomgoodie Dead End and /your/ Thundercracker sneaking Screamer out. What does that look like? If it’d been all aboveboard why sneak?” Vortex knew he was right, and most of the mechs in the room nodded, murmuring amongst themselves.

The Coneheads were the exception; they’d distracted Soundwave from seeing it as it happened, and had paid for it dearly themselves. Only the fact that Thundercracker had ordered it had saved them from deactivation.

Still, they knew worse could be coming, they were just waiting for the figurative axe to fall. It always did in /this/ army.

“Frag if I know.” Skywarp said honestly. He didn’t know himself. The trine bond was broken. He couldn’t touch them, and by Primus he needed them as he never had before. He’d never realized how much the bond had helped balance him. Starscream’s capricious nature balanced Thundercracker’s seriousness that balanced Skywarp’s utter randomness that balanced Starscream… it was a cycle, which showed why their trine bond had grown as strong as it was before Thundercracker had shattered it in anger.

Why the Pit was he so mad, anyway? TC protected Starscream no matter what treachery the SIC had planned or perpetrated. Skywarp actually frowned at that, and Vortex snorted.

“Yeah, not gonna listen to the dumbest glitch in the army. See ya, Skydork.” Vortex rose and boldly sauntered toward the door, and Skywarp scowled, intercepting the Combaticon easily to grab his left arm. 

“Yeah, you are. I’m your Air Commander now, Lord Megatron said so, and if you don’t wanna follow a simple fragging order I’ll send your sorry spark to the Well by myself. Care to try me?” Skywarp was almost yelling by the end of that little speech. 

Vortex just smiled even more widely. “Like ta see you try.” 

Skywarp smirked. “Fine. Be that way.” He grabed Vortex’s other arm and abruptly the two of them were /not/ inside the Nemesis at all, but beside it….. with several tons of water above their heads. 

/See ya, fragger./ Skywarp commed, smirking. He let go of the copter and gave a little fingerwave before returning to the briefing room, a puddle of water soaking the carpet and a dying fish flopping at his pedes.

“Anyone else?”

~.~.~.~

“Starscream. Calm down.” Ratchet’s tone was as reassuring as he could make it; it was obvious that there were Issues here, and he didn’t want his medbay trashed beyond all repair by a deranged Seeker.

“Calm down. You ask /me/ to /calm down/ when I am imprisoned on the pitfragging Ark, where people /touch/ me and /stare/ at me and and and and and-“ Starscream’s lips moved, but no sound came out. Thundercracker just stared at his bondmate, unable to even offer so much as a touch on the arm for comfort. He gently opened their bond, and tried to speak there.

/: Stars. He isn’t going to harm you. I will not allow it. Trust in me. Trust in me as you always do. :/

/: You didn’t stop what happened to me! :/ Starscream shrieked through their bond, and Thundercracker winced as if Star had physically hit him.

“Don’t you hurt him, /Air Commander/. He’s thought of nothing /but/ your sorry aft while he and Skywarp were here, /nothing but/ your well-being and care, and I know damned well that you just tossed some acidic comment at him for no other reason than that you’re scared. Afraid. Worried. No, don’t bother denying it, you have a spark, and I can tell this slag because I’ve seen it all before.” Ratchet continued, a bit less sharply. “If you promise, as your… trinemate has done, not to cause harm, then you are /not/ a prisoner, not a captive. Frag it up, and it’ll be me you face.”

“Oh, I hardly think that you’re up to dealing with /me/.” Stascream spat. “There is nothing you could possibly do that would compare to what I go through every single orn.”

At that, both Ratchet and Thundercracker looked sick. 

Starscream backed up into a corner, his wings high and trembling, and he glanced from one to the other and back to the doorway almost wildly. “I don’t want to be here. Get me out of here. Let me go, damn you!”

“Starscream!” Thundercracker shouted. “Stop this!” And with that, he opened their bond fully and /shoved/ the truth at him.

Starscream froze in place, feeling all that TC sent…..

/: Together/close/friend/lover/mate/bondmate/what? No it can’t be…I never…. :/

/: You did. /We/ did. :/

/: Lies, untruth, Thundercracker please, it hurts too much to keep doing this, you can’t be telling the truth, or you’d feel what I felt, live what I lived… :/

/: Scree… I did. :/ Thundercracker’s mental tone sounded exhausted.

/: THEN WHY…. :/

/: Because I thought we had no choice. We /do/ have a choice. We can be what Seekers are supposed to be… here with the Prime. The Prime is honorable. He will not do what Megatron did. :/

/: He’ll find me hurt me kill me give me to Motormaster again you have to save me help me hide me TC- :/ Starscream shut down the bond as he crawled under one of the tables, hands wrapped around his knees, staring out and wishing he had his weapons.

“Come closer and I’ll kill you!” he snarled. He wasn’t even sure who he was addressing.

/He’s… really bad off./ Ratchet commed Thundercracker. /I should sedate him while I talk to Perceptor and Wheeljack. The programming is likely intensifying his reaction to all this./

/Ratchet… please. I can’t listen to this for much longer./ Thundercracker looked like he was about to break, and he didn’t want to do that in from of Starscream. Ratchet nodded just once, and he fiddled with a control on his arm. A small drone wheeled itself across the floor, and Starscream whipped his head around to see what had caused the noise. The second his attention wavered, Ratchet dove toward Starscream, deftly injecting the Seeker with a sedative into his still-open medical port. Starscream fell into an undignified heap, and Thundercracker finally relaxed a little.

“Ratch, he’s broken.” TC said softly.

“The broken are my specialty.” The medic said, almost as if it were a challenge. “And I’ll be right back.”

Thundercracker waited patiently, and as he waited for Ratchet to return, he gently picked Starscream up and placed him back on the medbay berth, adjusting his wings so as to not bend them and weaken the new welds. It didn’t take long at all for Ratchet to return, and he had brought company. 

Very /large/ company, with two smaller mechs.

The big one stopped dead, something undefinable on his face. “Starscream.” He said, his voice soft and gentle.

“Skyfire, I brought you here to help.” Ratchet said, not unkindly. He turned to the blue Seeker. “These three have been sworn to secrecy regarding Starscream’s condition and why you brought him here. They are aware of Shockwave’s…violation, and are willing to try something noninvasive until Starscream is able to consent to the full procedure.”

“Messing with core programming is worse than spark rape.” The red scientist said quietly. “Wheeljack and I have developed something of a patch to help balance your mate-“ At that, Thundercracker’s optic ridges shot up, but Perceptor pretended not to notice and continued. “-and possibly allow him to regain enough competency to make decisions for himself. By Autobot… and probably Decepticon.. standards, Starscream is not sane. Do you, Thundercracker, have the authority to make important decisions for your mate?”

Thundercracker wasn’t certain that Star would thank him for it in the least, but he had to. “I do.” He said softly. “He is mine until the end of days, and our third is….” He couldn’t continue.

“Then by all means let’s start.” Wheeljack said. “Gentlemechs, clear out unless y’r helpin’.”

“I will remain.” TC said in a tone that brooked no opposition.

The science team bent over Starscream’s form with a purpose, and Thundercracker watched it all, hoping against hope.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one has been sitting for awhile. Co-written by Beautiful Infinity; Swiftshot is totally her creation.

The mechling had been told NOT to go into the medbay without supervision. Yet so many adults had gone in and come out, some looking angry, some looking vaguely ill and a few who'd just come out looking sad. That had been days ago and he'd TRIED to listen. He'd tried really REALLY hard, but his curiosity could only take so much before he just HAD to know the secret for himself. The blue and white mechling crawled quietly through the vents, following the passages that Rewind and Eject had taught him to use in case of emergencies until he was positioned at a vent to one of the private rooms. It was the best place to sneak in without getting caught.

Quietly, glossa poking out from between his lips, he unscrewed the vent cover and climbed out. The room was dark, considering it was nightcycle and really, Ratchet never used more lights then he needed anyway. A small blue visor flickered in that dark. Was someone crying? He hoped it wasn't Ratchet. He didn't like it when Ratchet was upset. 

On silent, small pedes, Swiftshot stole over to the berth in the corner where the sounds were coming from. He stood on the tips of his pedes, spying white and red plating in the soft glow of his visor. "Hey..." He said softly, reaching to pat what he could reach. "Are you okay?"

"No." The former Air Commander didn't even bother looking; the answer was automatic. It was dark, he felt the torn remains of something that had been with him for so long, and then the shock of knowing that the bond with Thundercracker was...what it was. He didn't know what to do, how to take it. This was going to kill him more surely than Megatron had tried to. "No, I'm not, and I won't /ever/ be." He hurt. Not just in frame, his frame had been repaired to Ratchet's exacting standards, but in his spark. Skywarp, his brother....now his betrayer, in a way.

Swiftshot frowned, trying to look around the darkened room to see for something to help him up on the berth. It was too dark. So, he improvised. Planting one pede on one of the bars and using that as leverage, he grunted and huffed until he was able to swing a leg up and pull himself with a small grunt onto the berth.

That done, panting in exertion, the youngling crawled over the frame, following the light from his visor to see until he was staring at blue servos covering a face.

"Please don't cry." He said softly, feeling for the stranger. "I can help. I'm good at helping. Optimus says so."

"Don't look at me." Starscream almost snapped, and then he peered out from the cage of his hands. A /youngling/, here? He moved his hands and half-sat up to regard the small mech with a measure of surprise and shock. "There's younglings on the /Ark/?" he asked, somewhat stupidly. The evidence of his despair was plain in the light of Swiftshot's visor and the dim medbay lighting- the tracks of coolant trailing down dark faceplates. "I....you can't help me." he finally said, forlorn and lost. The ache was intolerable, he was sure. He could feel Thundercracker, safe in recharge....but the other was /gone/.

Swiftshot flinched backwards in surprise at the short demand, immediately shutting off his optics to comply. Well he wasn't LOOKING was he? "Jus' me. I'm Swiftshot! Are you sure I can't help? I can give really good hugs and Wheeljack says he ALWAYS feels better after a hug."

Starscream stared at the youngling and sighed. "You can look, I suppose...it can't hurt, after all." He felt bad for yelling at the only youngling he'd laid optics on in /vorns/. He...wasn't sure about the hug, though surely Swiftshot wouldn't harm him? He didn't like to be touched now. His frame crawled when anyone, even Thundercracker, so much as brushed his frame....and it hurt his...bondmate, he now knew, when he flinched away. "...you can try, but hugs haven't made me feel better yet." he allowed.

Swiftshot's optics opened again and with it the light to his visor returned. "Maybe they're not hugging right." He determined with a nod. He opened his arms as wide as they'd go, wrapping them around the stranger's neck and burying his helm against the cabling with a soft chirp.

Starscream stiffened, the images coming to mind against his will, and he felt the tears come even though he tried mightily to stop them. Weakness was not something he showed easily, not even in front of a youngling. He forced himself to stay still, and the touch didn't turn harmful, the energy field against his own was innocent and /young/ and completely unaware of the things he'd been through- in fact, he could not even think of them due to his age....Starscream felt something within him relax just enough that he was able to take one arm and return the hug, though his touch was light and his grip uncertain. "It hurts." he said, very softly, not 

"Did you get hurt out there?" Swiftshot asked softly. "Sometimes Sides and Sunny do..."

"I...." He wasn't going to tell him. He couldn't sully this youngling's mind with all that had happened to him. Star kept it simple. "Yes. I got hurt. My...friend brought me here so that Ratchet could help me."

Swiftshot pulled back some. "Ratchet's good at that. Did he kiss your scratches all better? That's supposed to help. He says so."

Starscream actually /laughed/ at that; the mental image of /Ratchet/ kissing all his scratches 'better' banished the images of what Motormaster had done as if by a gust of wind. "No, not exactly, little one." he said, a slight smile on his lips. He maneuvered himself so that Swiftshot could sit either next to him or on his lap; it was his choice, as Starscream found that Swiftshot touching him wasn't...too bad. As long as he could see it coming.

The youngling scrabbled into his lap, far used to and comforted by tactile contact in the short vorns of his life. He was frowning. "Then how can they get all better? Maybe I can do it? Or did someone else do it already?"

How to answer /that/? "Ratchet just fixed my outside hurts. My inside hurts....just need time." That was the best way that Star could think of to describe it, and he was suddenly grateful that Ratchet had removed the purple sigils from his wings or else the youngling likely would never have approached him. He sighed, his wings twitching. "I don't know if you know him, but my friend Thundercracker....he's helping me, with those inside hurts." As much as he could, Star knew. It was hurting him just as much, perhaps /more/ because of Star's inability to allow TC to touch him for more than a nanoklik at a time.

"Oh." Swiftshot didn't really grasp an inside hurt. "But it still hurts? Cause yer crying."

"Yes, it still hurts." Starscream said, and it /did/...everything hit him more deeply at night, because he was alone and couldn't ask for help. "It hurts a lot."

The mechling frowned before patting around his frame for the small compartment he was allowed to have until he was old enough for his own subspace. He smiled triumphantly when he found it, pulling out a small pack of spicy gels and holding them to the mech. "Here! Sunny makes them for me when he can. I have extra. Wanna share?"

Candy? Well, he supposed that for a youngling, it very well may cure all ills. Starscream couldn't bring himself to disappoint the mechling and so he nodded, taking two out of the pouch. He resisted the urge to sniff them and just ate both at once. When the spicy flavor his his sensors he grinned. "These are my favorite kind." he said softly, and the small smile grew wider as he helped himself to just one more. Though he was far from used to using the words, he knew it was appropriate. "Th-thank you."

Swiftshot beamed. "I like these ones and the really creamy tasting ones, but those're harder to make Sunny says. The humans don't have all the ingredients here." He shoved three into his mouth at once.

"You shouldn't have too much or you'll never recharge." Star said automatically, feeling at ease for the first time in a very long while. "I know how to make these." he revealed, and his face fell when he remembered. "Though I doubt they'd let me in the labs to do so."

"Sunny doesn't use the labs. He does it in the medbay." Swiftshot said. The stranger looked less upset now and that was good. "Ratchet has a thing in the corner." He waved his hands around, trying to make the shape of the small goodie oven with them. "You know. The thing..."

Star raised an optic ridge. "I have no idea what you mean." He hadn't been anywhere other than the medbay since Thundercracker had brought him here. Ratchet had told him he'd be released soon, and he supposed that then he'd move into the quarters Thundercracker had told him about, but he wasn't familiar with the object that Swiftshot was describing. "I'm Starscream, by the way." He hoped his name didn't set off a bad reaction...

"That's a pretty name." Swiftshot latched onto it, giving up on describing the thing. "Why'd yer carrier name you that?"

"Well, as the story goes....my carrier, Dawnstar, wanted to name me after himself. And then he heard me cry for the first time after I separated from him....thus, my name." That's the story he'd been told all his life, anyway.

"So you screamed a lot as a youngling?" Swiftshot concluded. "I get in trouble when I yell."

"According to most I scream too much even now." Starscream muttered. "My friends, what few I have, call me Star." He gave the youngling a sidelong glance. "You can call me that if you want."

"Okay! And you can call me Shooter! But not Swifty. Or Shoot. Or Bullseye." He counted off his hated nicknames on his fingers.

"...Bullseye? Why would....I don't /even/ want to know. Who are your creators, Shooter?" Star wanted to know.

"Dunno. Sunny and Sides know, or they think they do, but I don't really wanna know. Elita found me and I like her a lot."

Slag, at least he wasn't the Twins' bitlet....his lifespan would likely be measured in kliks if they found /Starscream/ with their sparkling on his lap. Star's lips turned down in a frown. "They don't like me much..."

"They don't like a lot of mechs." Swiftshot said before glancing around. "But they really REALLY like Ratchet. I didn't tell you though."

That was.......more than Star really wanted to know, but the mental image of those slagging Jet Judoing maniacs with a crush on the wrench-throwing medic made Starscream laugh, and even send a ripple of mirth through the bond he and Thundercracker shared. He felt the Seeker wake almost instantly, worry and concern flooding the bond. //Oh, I am perfectly /fine/, Thundercracker. I just made a new... Friend. Yes, a friend. Do calm down.// he sent, smiling at the youngling. "That is very interesting, Shooter. I won't tell." Not out loud, anyway.

"Maybe you should." Swiftshot said thoughtfully. "Cause even Tracks said that everyone else knows."

"And Ratchet doesn't?" Starscream asked, nearly laughing again when TC picked up on their topic of conversation. His bondmate apparently had Plans, plans that involved locking said maniacs and medic in a room for a long while and letting Nature take its course. "Thundercracker, I never would have thought..." he mumbled, and then looked at Swiftshot. "No, I think I will keep it to myself for /just/ a bit longer. And you should too. Just for a little while."

"I guess." Swiftshot said doubtfully. "Who's Thundercracker?"

"He looks like me....except he's blue. And taller." Starscream said. It wasn't any wonder than Swiftshot hadn't seen the other Seeker. "He's...my good friend." He didn't think the youngling would quite get the concept of bondmates. He might be wrong, though.

"So he's an Aerialbot too?"

"Primus, no!" Starscream said rather vehemently, before he stopped and revised his tone. "No, Shooter. We are Seekers." He said it proudly /and/ uncertainly, expecting that soon the youngling would realize what he was and run away.

Swiftshot tilted his helm curiously. "What'sa seeker?"

Thundercracker sat up from where he had been recharging. "... Swiftshot, how far outside the Ark have you been?"

"I don't go outside."

"A Seeker is...." How does one describe what someone fundamentally /is/ to a youngling without prejudices, without the knowledge of old Cybertron? Starscream was at once confused and elated- here was an opportunity beyond any other he'd had in quite some time, and he looked down at Swiftshot with a small smile. "A Seeker is one who is modeled like us, yet it means more than that. We are protectors of those weaker than ourselves, first and foremost. Or we were, once." He felt sorry for this youngling who could not go outside. "Why don't you go out?" he asked, knowing the answer.

"Cause it's dangerous. Not as dangerous as Cybertron. Old one optic is there. He's scary." Swiftshot tried to think on Starscream's explanation. "So... a Seeker is like you? Do you turn into planes too? Or a shuttle like 'Fire?"

"It is dangerous out there, and Old....One-Optic...is on Cybertron, unfortunately." Starscream said, smothering a smile that turned into a wave of hurt. That's what Skywarp had always called Shockwave, too... He tried to banish that, but it wasn't that easy. "Yes, we turn into planes." Star thought. "We look most like...one of the Aerials....which one /is/ it..." He never could keep their names straight...."Air Raid. That's it. Our jetform resembles his most closely."

"Air Raid's kinda a jerk. Not as big a one as Slingshot though." Swiftshot frowned a bit.

Starscream privately agreed, though he didn't think that was appropriate to share with a youngling. "Perhaps it's because he doesn't fly very well." he said.

"I dunno. I can't fly so he's already better 'n me." The youngling smiled before yawning. It was far past his recharge time, but he'd gotten to sneak around and meet new mechs so it wasn't a loss.

Star looked down at the obviously tired youngling, and though his presence felt rather nice, he knew that if the Autobots came in here and found Swiftshot recharging on his lap, they'd likely have conniptions. "Shooter...I think that it's time for you to recharge, and I don't think it would be a good idea if you stayed here." His tone remained gentle, though.

The mechling nodded. He didn't want to get in trouble when Sunny and Sides found him not in his berth. "Yeah." He hugged Starscream again before scrambling off the berth to crawl back into the vent. Before he disappeared, he waved. "Bye, Star! Bye Thundercracker. I'll see you tomorrow?"

Starscream grinned. In perfect honesty, he nodded. "If you can get away without getting into trouble, I would be glad to talk with you." It was the truth. Talking to the youngling /had/ helped him a bit- he felt safe, which was a feeling Star wasn't accustomed to. The touch of the little one didn't bring on the flashbacks or the tremors. And he cared, either not knowing or not caring who Starscream used to be. He watched Shooter crawl back through the vent before turning slightly toward Thundercracker, a soft smile still on his lips. 

"I.....miss little ones, being around." he said very softly, almost as if he didn't expect a reply.

Thundercracker smiled back, reaching out carefully and squeezing his hand. "It was a surprise... how they managed to keep it from us is amazing."

Starscream only stiffened for an instant before remembering just who had taken his hand, then relaxed into it, even allowing his thumb to brush lightly across the back of Thundercracker's hand. "I know. And...I'm happy they did." His tone is defiant. "I don't /want/ to know what...." He stopped himself before he could finish that sentence; it didn't need to even be put into words.

Thundercracker squeezed his servo again. "I know Star. But they managed, so don't think about it."

"You know I will." Star hated that part of himself that always worried about the worst. He worried constantly, especially about the Seekers left behind. He'd heard them talking about who the new Air Commander was, and the idea both hurt and made him want to roll his berth laughing. That thought brought back the images he /didn't/ want, and he sucked in a breath as he turned to Thundercracker with both fear and hope in his optics. "I want you to try something. Try to...do as Shooter did, give me a hug. I...need one." That was still harder than Pit to say.

Thundercracker's optics brightened, his own hope being ruthlessly pushed down. His hands hovered in the air between them, wanting to touch but afraid to do so and push Starscream away. "Are you... are you sure?"

Starscream nodded, steeling himself both mentally and physically. He hadn't known that /this/ was hurting Thundercracker as much as it did him...so for /him/, he'd try. After all, even though he could hardly believe it, once he'd agreed to bond to this mech...though he could see why, all the reasons that made it feel so right. "Please." he said, his voice soft. TC wouldn't hurt him. He'd never make him do anything he didn't want. He'd kill anyone who tried. He...could trust him. But could his body trust what his mind was telling him?

Carefully, making sure Starscream could see him move as he gently wrapped his arms around Starscream's waist. He scooted closer to him, hugging him gently though he desperately wanted to clutch his mate to him and make sure nothing touched him again.

Star kept his optics open, and when the other Seeker touched him he felt the panic well up within him....but he pushed it back and down and away from him as hard as he could. That combined with the gentle feelings through their link allowed him to remain still for a moment, thinking about this. He wouldn't harm him. He could trust these arms, this EM field, this spark, /Thundercracker/ to not hurt him...and he laid his helm down on the broad shoulder and even lightly rested his hand on the other. "You won't hurt me. You won't let anyone else hurt me." he said, needing an answer.

"Never again." Thundercracker promised quietly. "I won't let it happen again."

"Swear it?" Slag, he sounded younger than Swiftshot saying that, but he wanted so much to believe it. He still hadn't let go, and then the slagging tears came again, against Star's will, and he hoped that Thundercracker wouldn't notice too much as they trailed down his plating.

"I swear it on Vos' memory." Thundercracker said meaningfully, arms tightening just a bit, one hand gently stroking Starscream's helm soothingly.

"I......want to believe you." And he did. That would take time, though, and Star allowed himself to cry there, because it was obvious that he didn't mind. "I want to. It's just..." His own hand tightened just a bit on TC's shoulder, and he moved very slightly closer into the embrace.

"I know Star." Thundercracker whispered hoarsely, feeling like crying himself. "I'll be here. I'm not going anywhere. Take all the time you need."

He felt bad, now. "Don't..be upset. It isn't your fault." He allowed himself to run his fingers over the shoulder he'd been clutching. "You didn't...cause any of this. You saved me from more of it."

Thundercracker didn't say anything, just squeezing him once more with a deep sigh. He should have gotten him out sooner, should have fled long ago... So many regrets that he couldn't fix. He only had the now.

"Don't move yet." And there was a hint of the /old/ Starscream, the slight bit of command in his tone that hadn't been heard since they'd come here. "I...want you to stay." he said, more gently. His meta snarked at him about what Ratchet would say once he saw all /this/ on his cameras.

"Then I will. Whatever you want, Scree." Thundercracker promised, relief and hope forming a knot in his spark. "Whatever you need."

"I do believe /that/, or else you'd not have put up with me for this long." Star said, a hint of his sarcastic humor shining through. He twisted himself around, not letting Thundercracker let go except so he could reposition himself, and sat with his back to the larger Seeker, almost but not /quite/ sitting in his lap. "Like this. If I go to recharge, just don't drop me, okay?"

Thundercracker stared at the smaller seeker in his arms before a large, rather goofy smile spread over his lips. thank Primus Star couldn't see it. "Of course not. That wouldn't be very chivalrous." He teased softly before kissing the back of Starscream's helm. "Get some sleep, Scree."

"Chivalry? Just /what/ have they been teaching you while I've been in this medbay?" Star demanded to know, offlining his optics just to see if he still felt okay. His frame said that it might just be all right to not have to see, as long as they were the only ones in here. He hadn't even jumped (not externally) when he felt the pressure of warm lips on his helm. "You too, Thunder, or else." he said, allowing himself that small smile again, thinking that maybe one day he might be in one piece again. Maybe.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

Ratchet knocked on the open door to ICU room to gain the Seekers' attention. "Alright Screamer, checkup time." He said with his usual gruffness. "I need to see how much more slag we need to flush from your systems."

Starscream literally /jumped/ but was slightly restrained by....what.....blue arms? Huh? Oh. He nudged Thundercracker slightly. "I think you need to move, or Ratchet may move you himself."

Thundercracker sighed and reluctantly let go. "You get us up far too early." He grumbled at the medic. 

Ratchet snorted. "What's your definition of early? It's the middle of the cycle." He rolled his optics and gestured Starscream to follow him. "Come on, you have a visitor too."

"A visitor? Who would want to see /me/..." Starscream asked, curious. He gave Thundercracker a look that told him that he'd damned well /better/ come back after this was over and done with.

"Just come on already." Ratchet snorted.

Starscream gave Ratchet a /look/ and followed him, his wings held high with his curiosity.

Ratchet led Starscream to the main medbay room where - "Swiftshot! I said don't touch anything! Put that down!"

The youngling, who was sitting on the exam berth that Ratchet had been using for Starscream, dropped the (fortunately) disconnected laser scalpel hub guiltily.

The smile on Starscream's face at the youngling's presence was almost, but not quite, as wide as the one he'd allowed himself last night just before he fell into recharge. "Hi, Shooter." Starscream said. He didn't want to get him into trouble, so he didn't give a hint as to /how/ he knew the mechling, but it would do them both a disservice to lie and pretend he didn't know him. "Laser scalpels can cut your fingers off." he said solemnly. "You shouldn't touch."

The youngling smiled at Starscream, Ratchet's knowing smile going unseen. "Hi Star!" He scrambled off the berth to run and hug the mech around his knees. "It's not my fault Ratch leaves all the COOL stuff where I can get it."

Starscream only flinched when Swiftshot grabbed him, but he wasn't even waist high to the Seeker and all he did was hug, so Star stood there, still, and endured. "Shooter....do me a favor. Please warn me before you....grab me, okay?" he asked, his voice remarkably level.

Swiftshot tilted his helm up curiously but let go with a nod. "Okay. Sorry! Didn' mean to invade yer pers'nal space."

The Seeker blinked. "I'm not sure I want to know who taught you that phrase. It's.....all right. I'm just....still hurt, a little, and like to get ready before someone touches me." That was the best way he could think of to explain it to someone so young, and he supposed that that was fairly accurate as well. He looked up at Ratchet to see how much he was monitoring this little visit.

The medic wasn't looking, but he sure as frag was listening and had his scanners turned full tilt on the pair. Recovering or not, Starscream could still be dangerous and Swiftshot was too young to do anything to fend him off. He noted the youngling nodding.

"Okay, Star. Did I hurt you? I didn't mean too!"

"N-no. You didn't." This too was the truth; he'd just startled Star, really, nothing too major. "Why don't you climb up on the berth so we can talk more easily? I'll sit near you, how's that?" His wings telegraphed his nervousness, but his voice was as steady as it ever got.

The white and blue mechling grinned happily and swung around to do just that, already babbling about what he'd been up to already during the day.

Starscream enjoyed that, to be honest- few people spoke to him, and though half of that was his choice, some of it wasn't and it was refreshing to be around someone who had no preconceptions of who he ought to be. He nodded and agreed in the right places, even beginning to relax a bit as they sat and talked. Star held up one finger to Shooter before walking over to the plasglas window where Ratchet was and he tapped on it, miming drinking a cube. That said, he walked to the dispensers and got himself one before frowning. "Shooter, I could use a cube, but I have less than no clue of how to program this thing for someone so much smaller......"

"I'm okay!" The mechling chirped, swinging his legs. "Right now I only get two a day 'cause my min'ral count isn't so good." This didn't seem to bother him at all, Swiftshot really having no idea what that meant anyway. " 'Sides, I'm not allowed to work 'em anymore since I acc'dentally 'sploded the one in the rec room."

He couldn't stifle the laugh that came from /that/ mental image. "If you....exploded one...then I suppose you shouldn't use one until you know how." Star said between the near-giggles. He returned with his own fuel. "Mine's got some...stuff...in it too." he said conspiratorially. "Ratchet says it'll fix me better." He took a sip- even with the additives, it tasted far better than the slag on the Nemesis. "And since I'm pretty sure he's the best medic that exists, it probably will." He wondered why Shooter's mineral count was bad, and belatedly recalled that he said something about Elita. Maybe he'd been found on Cybertron by the femmes. "Are you from Cybertron?" he asked.

"Yup!" Swiftshot grinned. "It's kinda all fragged up right now, but 'Lita said they're trying to make it better. I hope they do. I wanna see the fountain in the courtyard run and not be full of broken buildings... Though I wouldn't be able to hide there anymore. I don't live there now 'cause 'Lita and 'Mia found me and took me with them. Then Ratch came to see me and found out I had brothers! How cool is that?!"

"Brothers?" Starscream wondered just who /they/ were, though his meta was giving him an idea that he wasn't comfortable with, primarily because if /that/ were the case, his wings would be worth scrap if they caught him with their little brother...

"Yup! Sunny and Sides!" The youngling's smile almost seemed to split his face in half. "We have the same carrier, but diff'rent sires. Which is okay, I guess. I don't remember my carrier too much, but my sire was kinda mean..."

Starscream tried not to twitch, he really did. His meta had been /right/, though, and as soon as they found out that fragging /Starscream/ was making nice with their baby brother, they'd both be out for his energon. That was /not/ a comforting thought. "They don't know you talk to me, do they." It wasn't a question.

Swiftshot shrugged. "They don't know I talk to Tracks either."

"You don't have to worry about anything, Starscream." Ratchet snorted as he walked in, having caught the statement. He rubbed the youngling's helm, Swiftshot's visor dimming as he purred. "He's here on my request and if those two bozos want to complain, I'll smack them. Hard."

Swiftshot giggled.

"You see why I am...ambivalent." Starscream said with a hint of flatness to his tone. As long as he was in medbay, he'd be relatively safe..../nobody/ crossed Ratchet, not even their Prime. And outside, he supposed that Thundercracker might just be able to do the job.

He really wished that it wasn't necessary to worry about, but he'd never admit it. "Why did you request..." Star asked the medic, gingerly rubbing the mechling's head to distract him.

"Because sometimes younglings have a better grasp on how to fix things without meaning to." Ratchet replied cryptically. "And if you two are going to be walking around eventually, he needs to get used to you. He's a friendly little guy..." //Until things start exploding or there's gunfire.// He finished over comm.

//Trust me, I think I understand.// Star commed back. //Even if I don't...share that, I share the emotion that goes with it.// he couldn't stop the wave of self-loathing that came along with the admission, but he'd realized that it wouldn't get him out of medbay until he faced up to it. "He is. I like him quite a bit." Star smiled down at Swiftshot, meaning it. "And I hope I get out of here before I rust."

"You don't rust until you're as old as 'Hide." Swiftshot snickered.

Ratchet snorted, covering his own laugh by clearing his intakes. "You need to stop taking Sideswipe so seriously."

Starscream covered his mouth to stop his own laugh, his wings doing the laughing for him. "Is /that/ why he's red?" Starscream could not resist, not in the least.

Swiftshot opened his mouth to reply before pausing and seeming to actually THINK about it. "I dunno..." He mused thoughtfully.

Crimson optics glowed with actual /happiness/ for a few moments as Star basked in the joke, though it hadn't been nice, it had been relatively harmless. Star gave a quick glance over to his room, wondering if TC had gone back to recharge in a more comfortable position. "I thought you wanted to scrub my systems again, Ratchet?" he asked, sitting leg to leg with Swiftshot and hardly noticing.

"I do. AFTER you finish the entire cube, flitter glitch." The medic snorted, queuing up his logs on Starscream's systems. "Not a drop left. Trust me, you'll be thanking me later... After you're done cursing me to the pit, of course. You can ask your blue winged wingnut alllll about it."

"About what?" Swiftshot inquired curiously, leaning into the seeker happily. "What does TeeCee know?"

"What...I don't want to know, do I." Star said in resignation. There was no getting out of it- he knew this already. He'd tried and tried in the beginning and it got him exactly nowhere. There was only putting it off, and that tended to make it worse so he drank the rest of the cube, frowning at that last sip that tasted somewhere between aft and metal shavings. "There, all done." He stuck his glossa out at the medic petulantly. "If he's brother to the twins he /knows/ all the curses intimately, so is he staying?"

"Oh! I know them all! Sire even made up a few I think. I was glitch for a little bit and rust stain... Sunny got mad when I told him that." Once more Swiftshot didn't seem bothered. It had just been a fact of life for him. "I think Sides taught me some new ones when I told HIM..."

Ratchet hid his scowl by focusing on his screen before setting a timer. "Shooter, buddy, you may not want to be in here for this one... By the way, Screamer, receptacle's over there and don't you DARE spill."

"What in the world are you telling me that fo-urgh!" Starscream felt his tanks rebelling rather violently and was at once grateful and /pissed/ at Ratchet...though he /had/ warned him in his own fashion. He fought off the urge to purge and glared at the medic, though he didn't /dare/ open his mouth, not even to speak. His wingtips shook violently a he eyed the timer...three....two....ohmyPrimus.

The receptacle was /just/ close enough, and Starscream finally managed to vent his frustration in terms that likely had never been heard on the Ark, as Starscream's command of old Vos idiom was far superior to most anyone's on the Con-side, let alone Autobots.

Swiftshot stared wideoptic'd at the seeker, hands now clasped over his sensitive audios, the slats firmly clamped shut in self defense against the absolute SHRIEKING coming from Starscream. Ratchet, having shut off his own audios, was quick to pick him up and push him out the door gently with an order to not touch anything once more while he closed the door behind him.

It took Star a few moments to purge that /awful/ slag Ratchet had made him drink, and he sat back on his thrusters, eying the medic with the first bit of distrust in awhile. "Why in the name of Primus did you only try to poison me NOW?"

"Oh come off it." Ratchet snorted as soon as he deemed it safe to turn his audios back on. "You're the scientist, figure it out smart guy."

"Okay, so it /wasn't/ poison." Starscream actually /looked/ at the slag he'd just purged up, and noted that there wasn't any actual energon in it- it was only a goopy clayey mess that looked rather disgusting even now. "Where did that- was that /inside my tanks/?"

"Bingo! We have a winner! Send him down and we'll give him his prize!" Ratchet grinned, counting down on his fingers and waiting.

"Ratchet, has anyone ever told you that you're a sarcastic /aft-/ gah!" Phase two of the purge then chose to occur, with a bit less cursing and a lot less audial-bending shrieks. When Starscream finally finished, he actually laid himself flat on the floor. "Tell Thundercracker to pick up my offlined frame- or as I heard Frenzy say once, stick a fork in me, as I am /done/."

Ratchet snorted. "Oh get up you big sparkling. Swiftshot handled that better than you are. Do you really want a youngling to show you up?"

"Don't care, can't move." Starscream said, optics still bright red and flickering. "You are a sadist of the highest order. Never let it be said that you are as gentle as Thundercracker tried to convince me- yes, I know what happened with you two, and I do hope you enjoyed yourself as you won't be getting it again. He's /mine/." The Seeker managed a blinding grin from the floor.

The medic rolled his optics. "It may surprise you to hear this, but I don't actually WANT him."

"Good." That did surprise Star; usually most mechs that had a Seeker were mad to have him again. So of course his next question was, "Why not?"

"Because unlike most mechs I don't have an obsession with wings." Was all Ratchet would say. His sights were set already, as it were. "I'd get up if I were you." He singsonged.

"I don't /want/ to get up." Starscream said, and he really, really didn't. "My head's spinning and I am certain I'll purge up my own /thrusters/ if I should rise from this floor."

"Suit yourself, you get to clean the mess in about ten kliks in that case. We're not quite done yet."

"I have to do that AGAIN?" Starscream whined, and he really did whine. That idea made him sit up, and though his helm /did/ feel as though it was going to spin off its bolts, that passed enough for him to actually stand.

"You want to walk around with clay for tanks?" Ratchet asked, raising an optic ridge.

The Seeker shuddered; no, no he did /not/, and he realized that that was the best way for it to come out. "No, obviously not." He sat down and held out his hand. "More poison, please." he said snarkily, though without real heat. "Get this /over/ with so I can rinse my mouth and forget about this joor ever happening in my life."

"Nope. We need to wait ten kliks for THAT to burn away or we'll be dealing with clay AND holes. Almost done and then you're free to go play nanny."

"Holes?" That made Starscream raise both optic ridges in distress. It had to be corrosive, no other explanation. Well, that /did/ make sense- if there was buildup, it had to be dissolved and then gotten rid of. 

"You /don't/ have to enjoy this quite so much." Starscream noted.

"Oh please, taking care of the idiots around here is exhausting. I grab what entertainment I can." Ratchet snarked back. "You're the lucky winner today unless Sideswipe does something stupid."

"Oh /joy/." Star said, shuddering theatrically. "When am I getting out of here and hopefully into quarters with /him/?" he asked, pointing at where Thundercracker presumably lay.

"When your tanks are clean and we check your outer well being over. I want to make sure my repairs are holding."

Starscream nodded; at least he wasn't feeding him a line of slag. "I know. When I got here I was spare parts and not much more. For this, you have my thanks. And for not locking TC in the brig, letting him stay here with me even though..." He didn't finish that...even though he didn't /want/ him there, not really. He hadn't wanted anyone. Not even himself.

"Yeah, yeah. Doing my job. Like I told the OTHER wingnut currently invading my 'bay." Ratchet waved a servo dismissively, glancing at his scanner. "Whoops. Time's up." He said far to cheerfully.

"Oh, Primus save me." Star said, and he took the corrosive mixture and downed it while holding his nasal ridge shut, just to prove a point. Soon after, it had the expected result, though Starscream didn't shriek and curse this time- he knew what was coming, though when he laid on the floor after that, he proclaimed loudly, "I am NOT moving this time. Frag you. Frag you and anything that /resembles/ you. I would rather kiss Optimus Prime's /aft/."

Ratchet laughed. Loudly.

Starscream had a sinking feeling and he turned his head toward the medbay door, fully expecting to see said Prime standing there.

Unfortunately, whatever God had decided it was pick on Starscream day had decided that would be the PERFECT instant for Prime to indeed show up. The Autobot commander stood there awkwardly, staring at the Seeker oddly before shifting his gaze to the doubled over Medic who was still wrapped in his mirth. ".... Do I want to know?"

"I am /really, really, REALLY/ not getting off this floor, I swear by Primus Himself, and if /he/ walks through that door I shall know then that it is true, that the universe is conspiring against me in some twisted fashion." After this little speech, the former SIC crossed his arms over his cockpit and firmly turned away from all of them.

Ratchet looked as thought he were about to fall over laughing, and there was a glint in Optimus Prime’s optics that more than suggested that he found this funny was well. He stifled it, though, and turned to the former SIC. “Starscream, how are you feeling?” he asked politely.

“Like slag, of course.” Star glared holes through the medic, not even turning to look at the Prime. “I wasn’t aware that the Autobots allowed sadists to become the Chief Medical Officer.” 

Ratchet just grinned.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I finished this one up faster than I expected.
> 
> Beautiful Infinity helped with the vast majority of this chapter when it was first done (over a year ago), so kudos given to her for sure.
> 
> I think people will like this one.
> 
> Comments always appreciated :D
> 
> Warning for some dub-con due to being ordered into something.

“Air Commander Skywarp.” The Slagmaker’s tone was low and deadly, and Skywarp’s wings twitched involuntarily. He immediately pulled them as low to his frame as possible, trying to literally shrink into a wall.

“Um, yes, Lord Megatron?” The faintest hint of a squeak could be heard in his voice, and Skywarp cursed himself for the weakness.

“I thought that you would be different. Not a failure as your treacherous trineleader was. Where are they, Skywarp? Why haven’t you found them yet?” Megatron placed a hand on Skywarp’s left wing and gripped it hard enough to slightly bend the plating, and Skywarp winced.

“I haven’t seen them, no hint of where they are, an’ we’ve been looking, I swear it!” Skywarp looked up and tried to lock optics with his commander, and the look in Megatron’s optics made him want to teleport away as fast as he could.

“You haven’t looked hard enough. You’re a failure, incompetent just as Starscream was. I should have known it, seeing as he trained you.” Megatron sneered.

“No, I can do better. I’ll find them. I will.” Because I need my trine, he thought. I need ‘em back because I can’t DO this, I can’t BE this. The hand on his wing tightened just a little more, and he could feel himself being shoved downward to the floor.

“On your knees.” Megatron said almost offhandedly. “Prove your loyalty.”

Skywarp almost reeled back in equal parts disgust and shock, but he did as ordered.

Nobody told Megatron no.

~.~.~.~.~

Medbay, Starscream knew, had an aroma that was all its own. It wasn't /unpleasant/, per se; it was certainly medicinal and astringent though, tingling the sensor network in his nose in a way that wasn't entirely pleasant. 

He asked the ceiling, knowing that /someone/ would answer, "When in the rainbow frag am I moving /out/ of here?"

"Where ya movin' to?" Quipped the little voice from the next berth over. Swiftshot was visiting while his brothers were on patrol, sitting in Thundercracker's lap and showing him how to play his game.

"Hopefully to quarters with the mech who you're using as a chair, Shooter." Starscream answered. "Surely Ratchet needs this berth for something or another; I don't require constant care anymore." he muttered. And he didn't. His mental state occasionally necessitated that someone remain with him to forestall anything....unfortunate, but TC would gladly take that duty.

Thundercracker chuckled, tucking the youngling closer. "They're still clearing out a room, Star. Half the ship IS under a mountain." Swiftshot nodded in agreement.

Star pouted. "Yes, I suppose they'd have to. Who was it that wrecked it so thoroughly anyway? Slag for pilots..." Star mused, giving Thundercracker a significant look. He'd almost gotten used to being close to his bondmate. Almost. There had been times when he wanted TC to hold him throughout the long nightcycles, but the medbay berths were far too uncomfortable for both of them to recharge on a single one. Star sighed. That meant that when Star needed it, Thundercracker stayed awake to help. 

He supposed that that was yet another piece of evidence proving how the blue Seeker felt....and Starscream was warmed by it.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

"Air Commander, the frag is this supposed to be?" Astrotrain asked Skywarp, disbelief clear in his tone. Skywarp's battle plan was.....nonexistent on the holo-projector. It looked like chaos, and it wasn't just because Sky had no idea how to use the damn thing.

No, it was because Skywarp simply wasn't a leader, not like this. This was going to make the 'Cons look even stupider than usual. 

Skywarp scowled. "Shut up, Astrotrain, and let me fix this."

Blitzwing grumbled in the background while the Coneheads seemed to be resigned to their deaths.

The teleporter sighed. The frag......strengths, weaknesses, and yeah if he fragged this one up he was likely to get another big taste of what Starscream always got post-battle. It had already happened once. Skywarp twitched at the memory of being thrown to the floor, one wing twisted because of "failure". 

"So. Our objective is an air strike of their base, morons, so listen up. Anyone of you know slag-all about the Ark?" he finally asked.

Several shakes of helms and even one 'we're following THIS guy?' before the room fell silent again.

"Great." Warp mumbled. "Fine, whatever, if you get your afts shot off it's not like /I/ care, and I definitely won't deal with the Autoslag to get yer sorry aft back here." he warned. 

"You bigger mechs get to the first strike team. Bigger bombs at first, then the Seekers go in and evade the defense while we finish the job." Their great strategy was an extremely simplistic tactic that a sparkling could have offered.

"We're so slagged." Blitzwing despaired before following Astrotrain out. The rest of the air troops filed out, followed by Skywarp who had a sinking feeling about this.

\-----

Swiftshot swung from Starscream's hand, talking to him as they walked from the medical bay to where the proffered room was being renovated for the Seekers. The youngling babbled about whatever caught his attention, displaying traits that better related him Bluestreak rather than the twins.

Star glanced down at the happy-go-lucky youngling and smiled once more. Swiftshot was /good/ for him in more ways than one, and he opened his mouth to tell him so. Before he could get the words out, though, the hostile gaze of three minibots pinned Starscream to where he stood.

Swiftshot squeaked as he was pulled short and he looked up at the seeker curiously. "Whadja stop for, Star?"

Star's wings trembled as he stared at Gears, the ringleader of this little gathering, and he took in air rather deeply. "Please move so that we might pass." he said, congratulating himself of his even tone. His hand squeezed Swiftshot's just a bit more tightly, though, and anyone who could read wings could see that Star was clearly rattled.

Gears' arms crossed over his chassis. "We don't listen to Decepticreeps." He huffed spitefully. The other minibots with him, Gears and Cliffjumper, snickered. Swiftshot looked between them and Starscream. "Callin' bots names isn't nice." He said sternly.

"In case you failed to note I am no longer part of what you seem to delight in calling inane names." Starscream said flatly, a touch of his ambivalence shooting through the spark link. He glanced at Swiftshot. "No, no it isn't. Would that they had your wisdom, little one."

The minibots scowled. "Shove it up your afterburners, 'Con!"

Swiftshot frowned. "You better stop it."

"Or what, brat?"

Swiftshot smiled sweetly suddenly. "I'll scream."

~I think we may need help.~ Starscream sent to TC, releasing Swiftshot's hand. He gathered his will and stood to his full height, thankful that he did, indeed, at least outmatch three fragging minis. "One, you twisted little cretin: I am not a 'Con anymore. Do note the lack of insignia on my wings, oh, and the fact that you’re not smoking slag at my pedes. Two, you are a /rude/ little thing, aren't you? Compensating for something, perhaps? Or are you just naturally stupid?" he hissed, completely forgetting Shooter's admonition about namecalling.

Gears didn't back down. "We don't welcome your kind here!"

~Where are you?~ Was Thundercracker's immediate answer.

Swiftshot looked up at Starscream, reaching for his knee.... When the Ark suddenly rumbled ominously and then an explosion rattled then entire ship. 

~Halfway down the hallway, I don't know how much longer I can keep my mouth shut.~ Star said honestly, moving up on the mini with silent grace. "My kind. And what kind is that, hm? The kind that was in need, and your Prime recognized that? Or are you a bigot who hates airframes?"

Then the vibration hit. The mechling seemed to seize up before he curled up in a crouch and screamed as loud as was physically possible, and Swiftshot's reaction made Starscream immediately drop to one knee to gather the mechling up. "Shooter, what's wrong?"

Swiftshot shook his helm, screaming louder when another explosion rocks the mountain. The alarms kicked on, screaming to drown out the sparkling's wailing. The minibots scrambled back down the hall to get to their stations.

Starscream didn't even hesitate, scooping Swiftshot up into his arms and heading back the way they'd come.....back to medbay, where hopefully Ratchet or First Aid was available to help the visored youngling. 

Attacked. What idiocy had Megatron planned now? Starscream felt dread coil in the center of his tanks; what if he was after Star and TC? He began to feel as though screaming like Swiftshot might just be a good idea....and he began to run.

Ratchet was waiting outside medbay, yelling orders at mechs helping him prep. He didn't even hesitate to pluck the wailing sparkling away. "Prowl wants you and your bondmate in the command center!"

Starscream almost froze, not sure if he heard Ratchet right. "He wants /what/?" he asked stupidly, allowing the medic to take Swiftshot away. "Where /is/ the command center anyway?" Star demanded to know. The strange instruction helped to focus him on something other than worry and fear and he was grateful for it. ~Command center, TC?~ he asked hesitantly.

~I'm coming to get you.~ Thundercracker replied just as he turned the corner.

Starscream sagged in relief as he waited to be retrieved by his mate. Thundercracker would keep him calm, would stop him from overreacting no matter how worked up he made himself over possibilities that could very well not come to pass. Star reached out to Swiftshot and ran a thumb down his face, wiping tears off. 

"Shooter, it's going to be okay. All right?"

The sparkling was not to be consoled and Ratchet had to whisk him away into the medical bay. Thundercracker walked up, placing a servo on Starscream's lower back. "Come on, Star." He murmured, leading him to the command center.

"What if they're here for us, Thunder?" Star asked softly, walking down the almost deserted hallways on the way to a command center he'd never been in. "Is that why they want us there? Is Prime going to give us up to keep his people safe?"

"No, Star." Thundercracker's face was set, serious. "They're attacking, yes.... only it's Skywarp... I think they're hoping we can talk to him..."

At the mention of their third...former third.....Star's wings stiffened fully and he jerked as if he'd been struck. "He won't listen, TC. He's blinded by loyalty, you said." Starscream didn't know. He hadn't spoken to him in too long a time. Star reached for Thundercracker's hand as they walked almost unconsciously, needing the comfort. "I....miss him." he said almost too softly to hear.

"I know. Come on, Star." He said, leading him to the command doors. Inside was a bustle of activity. Optimus looked up from conversing with Prowl and Jazz and they were waved over.

Starscream's knee joints were just strong enough to hold out without betraying his worry. "You wanted us here?" he asked the Prime uncertainly. A quick glance at Thundercracker showed Starscream that TC didn't know why either. ~He's not going to give us up is he?"~

~I don't think so.~ Thundercracker tried to mask his own uncertainty as the three officers straighten. "We did. The Decepticon aerial forces are attacking. We were hoping you could aid us... Perhaps talk to Skywarp, who seems to be leading them."

Starscream's frame stiffened further and he squeezed TC's hand even harder, not even thinking of how it might hurt. "I....I am willing to try." Starscream whispered, giving Optimus Prime a look that was filled with everything he felt.

Jazz grinned. “Megs musta been hard-up, namin’ that glitch Air Commander in your place.” Prime frowned at that and held up one hand in the universal ‘stop’ gesture. “Jazz.”

Star gave Optimus a single nod and eyed the comm array. "If....we talk to him, it's best to do it in person, so to speak." he ventured. Starscream didn't want to. He didn't want to leave the safety of the Ark behind. The very thought of going out there terrified him, mainly because he'd managed to half-convince himself that this attack was staged to get both of the errant command trine members back where they belonged.

The Ark rumbled again, shaking as blaster fire came over the comm. "They're targeting the top of the mountain!" Smokescreen cried from his station. "They'll bring the entire thing down on medbay and the offices!"

Thundercracker stiffened. ~Swiftshot's in medbay!~ "We'll do our best. Come on Star. I'll be right next to you."

"Medbay......../Swiftshot/!" Starscream gasped. "TC, with me. Hurry. Please....oh Primus thank you, let's hurry." Starscream said, giving the blue flier a pleading, then relieved look. He only stopped long enough to give Prime a significant look. "Take out the triplechangers first. Any seam or join is a sensitive and therefore vulnerable area. Propulsion systems are redundant- don't bother knocking them out of the sky. Disable motor control instead by aiming a high-powered electrical shock at the bases of their helms or through an optic. If they brought the combiners, then disable them either by taking out the weakest member, or if they are already combined, aim for the joins. Use your own gestalts’ frametypes and specs as a guide."

That advice given, he took off toward an exit to /try/ and stop this before it could go too much further.

Thundercracker was right on his heels even before Prowl could turn and begin relaying orders based on the new information. Another violent quake shook the ark, rubble falling from the cracks in the ceilings and walls. Thundercracker cursed. "We have to hurry!"

Starscream accessed what schematics he had of the Ark and paused for a split second. "We can exit via an escape hatch in junction 17-A, just ahead....if you can fit." he added. With each shake and shudder of the ship, Starscream could virtually hear and feel Swiftshot's panic. The explosions must bring back the memories of war on Cybertron, nothing that was pleasant even in the best of times.

"It's not a matter of if." Thundercracker replied grimly. "Lead the way."

"Won't let you hurt yourself." Star said, meaning every word. 

They arrived at the indicated area and the access hatch was above them both. Star rose up on his thrusters and tested it- too heavy to lift, let alone push even if he did it as hard as he could.

"It might be buried under rock." Thundercracker mused before following to try himself... that was when a flash of purple filled the hallway.

"Slag!" Starscream swore, though that could only be one person.

It hurt more than he'd thought just to see him. Skywarp looked fundamentally changed in some way, and Starscream felt immediately wary of the change. It wasn't clear what was different until the black and purple Seeker began to speak.

"Starscream. Thundercracker." he said quietly.

Thundercracker drew himself straight and dropped back to the floor, tense and ready for a fight. He loved Skywarp like a brother. It had hurt to leave him behind, but Thundercracker had given him his chance and Starscream had needed out. "Skywarp." He replied.

"Yeah, TC?" Skywarp sounded almost.....defeated? Starscream frowned deeply. What had /happened/ during the relatively short period in which Skywarp had had Starscream's former rank and title?

Thundercracker seemed confused by the change as well. "You have to call off this attack."

"Um, no?" Skywarp gave his former trinemate a look of disbelief. "You have any clue what'd /happen/ to me if I did somethin' that /stupid/-"

"Oh Primus." Starscream breathed. "Oh Primus, now it's you. Sky. Skywarp. You can't do this. It'll destroy you." The teleporter twitched even more, his wings shuddering on his back. He couldn't listen to them. They were /traitors/. Not Trine! Not.....trine.......not......they were still Trine because once Trine, always Trine no matter what. 

Frag, Skywarp thought.

"Skywarp please." Thundercracker pleaded as the ship shook again. There were distinct sounds of creaking metal, lights flickering around them. A ship wide comm went out. ::Rescue units to section 8-C! I repeat, rescue units to section 8-C! Structural integrity compromised! Mechs possibly trapped!": Thundercracker searched his databanks for what section 8-C was and nearly collapsed in relief. Not medbay. Section 8-C was the command offices.

Star knew where that was and he winced. Skywarp shook his head again, almost frantic. "I CAN'T, TC, you don't get it! He'll slag me, or /worse/ than slag me. I'm watched constantly an' even though I KNOW I'm still loyal I.......I........" He couldn't say it; Sky had never been able to speak his emotions easily. 

Another shockwave buffeted the Ark and Starscream winced again. "You are harming those who would /aid you/ against that insane piece of scrap." Star said acidly.

"Starscream!" Thundercracker warned. ~Now is not the time to let your temper get the best of you.~ He turned to their missing third. "Skywarp. If you do not stop this, the medical bay will be crushed. There is a youngling there. Not even in his second upgrade yet. /Please!/ If not for us, your trine, then to spare his life..."

"There'sa WHAT?!" Skywarp FROZE. "You...there's /no way/ there's a bit here. We'd know." Skywarp said, trying to convince himself......but TC didn't lie and Warp knew that.

"Yes. A youngling. Who's terrified of the sound of war." Starscream said, his tone softening not one iota. "Skywarp.....I /know/ your wish. Would you take a new life just to feed the desires of a madmech?" At that, Star's tone did soften and he even looked at their missing third with something approaching compassion in his gaze.

Skywarp trembled. He looked from one Seeker to the other, hands clenching and unclenching in his indecision. "I...guys...." he whined, and the ship rocked again, this time harder. "He'll kill me." Sky whispered. “Or he won’t kill me, he’ll just-“

They were running out of time. "He won't." Thundercracker said, reaching out a hand, palm up. "Not if you are /here/. Not with the Autobots. With your Trine. Where you belong."

Skywarp bit through his lip, a thick trickle of energon staining his pale face. With a violent shake of his head, he activated his comm. 

//All right you glitches, /retreat/. That's an order. M'last one, too. Dirge, you got this as long as you take your trine and the triples back to the Nemesis. Just go.// He shared the comm with Starscream and Thundercracker, hoping against hope that he'd done the right thing.

//THE FRAG, SKYWARP?// Dirge commed back, in shock. //Did you find them?//

//None of your business, Seeker!// Skywarp roared back through the comm. //I gave you an order, and as the Winglord’s Third you had better damned well follow it!// 

There was utter comm silence for a few seconds, then Dirge proved himself to be the most intelligent of the Coneheads when he finally answered. //Understood, Air Commander. Dirge out.//

Starscream stared at Skywarp as if he didn't believe it. Had he chosen his trine over Megatron?

Thundercracker still didn't put down his hand, listening to the comm with hopeful disbelief. His optics softened. "Come home, Warp. Come back to us. We miss you."

Skywarp still hesitated even though he'd given the order. He'd taken the step that couldn't be undone......well, it COULD, he'd just have to claim the Coneheads lied.

He didn't want to. The look in Star's optics and the plea in Thundercracker's voice were just too much; the raw place in his spark where their bond once was felt as though it were on fire.

"How're you gonna trust me again?" he asked softly, reaching out very slowly.

Thundercracker didn't move, letting Skywarp make the choice. "We're trine. We KNOW you, Skywarp. We love you. Please."

"Always have." Starscream said, the words echoed with his wings, his optics, and the way that he grasped Skywarp's hand and gently tugged him toward them both. "Come home. It's not so bad here.......and they don't beat you. Ever."

"It was all true, wasn't it." Skywarp asked, and Star stiffened, looking down at his pedes without answering.

"We'll talk about it later." Thundercracker replied quickly. The alarms had shut off by this point and a comm came through to Thundercracker. ::Thundercracker, this is Prowl. The aerial forces are retreating. Status?:: Thundercracker tilted his helm.

::Situation under control... We uh... we have Skywarp...::

"/Have/ me? Are ya takin' me to the brig?!" Skywarp demanded to know, and Starscream glanced up with more than a hint of his old attitude in his gaze. 

"Don't be a moron, Sky, you're going to medbay." he said, stifling a laugh. "You need to be looked over."

Skywarp looked almost wary at that. "No." he said flatly.

Thundercracker just smiled scarily sweetly. "That's where the youngling is~"

Skywarp gave TC a Look. "I wanna meet him......./fraggit/ Thundercracker you are a /manipulative aft/." he complained.

Starscream just laughed. A /real/ laugh, not forced. He felt as though maybe, just maybe, this could work out.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Thundercracker grinned, tugging Skywarp along and ignoring the glares and contemptuous mutterings of several of the Autobots as they headed for medbay.

"Uhhuh. Sure." Skywarp said as he walked, idly flicking his wings at those who glared at him. Oddly enough, he noted that the stares were aimed at /him/ instead of the former Air Commander. He wondered why, other than that Star had been there longer. 

"So, a youngling. Whose bit is he?" Skywarp asked, and Starscream laughed harder.

".... He doesn't know." Thundercracker began, oddly hesitant. "But I GUESS you could call him Ratchet's in a sense..."

"How c'n you not know who your creators are?" Skywarp demanded to know. "That makes no sense. Creators don't ditch littles, ever!"

"He's a grounder, Sky. They don't feel the same way as Seekers." Starscream explained, and Skywarp's wings shot up in a mixture of anger and dismay.

"You mean t'tell me that some aftshaft THREW AWAY their sparkling?!" the teleporter virtually shrieked.

"For all we know they were killed in the war." Thundercracker reminded. "But... uh... he happens to be the Twins'... Little brother. So tread carefully..."

Skywarp actually paused. "An' they haven't torn your wings off yet I see." He tilted his helm. "Don't tell me, they don't know he hangs with a pair of Seekers."

"Oh, trust me. They found out. I'm surprised the Nemesis couldn't hear the glitchfit they threw." Thundercracker frowned momentarily as they stopped outside medbay. "We're here. You'll remember Ratchet."

"Yeah." Skywarp said with a smirk. "Did ya frag him again, too?"

Starscream gave Skywarp a dirty look and tweaked his left wing, though he didn't answer the question. He didn't know if TC had or not, though he had a sneaking suspicion that the blue Seeker had not.

Thundercracker snorted. "Of course not. Even if I had offered, he would have said no. It was a one time thing." The medical bay doors slid open, only a few mechs sporting minor injuries inside. The altercation hadn't lasted that long. Thundercracker looked around, pausing Hoist as he walked by. "Where's Ratchet?"

Hoist glanced nervously at Skywarp before pointing to Ratchet's office door. "In there. Keep the noise level down if you're going in."

Sky rolled his optics at the look. "'M not gonna eat you guys, you know. Sheesh. I said I was gonna come be with my trine, not kill Autoslag."

"Skywarp, don't use that term for Primus' sake." Starscream said disgustedly, walking ahead to where he knew Swiftshot was.

Thundercracker put a servo on Skywarp's back, moving him in the same direction. The door to Ratchet's office opened, showing Ratchet in the corner, rocking a shaking youngling and talking softly to him. The blue mechling was clinging tightly, hiccuping and sniffling occasionally. Ratchet glanced up, putting a finger to his lips. ::I just got him calmed down.::

Skywarp stared. They /had/ been telling the truth. There was a sparkling as plain as day, and he stepped forward for a better look......or tried to. Starscream stopped him, shaking his head slightly.

"Shooter....are you all right?" he asked softly, kneeling down to be on the mechling's level. He offered Swiftshot one cobalt hand, letting him choose whether or not to take it.

Swiftshot looked up from Ratchet's shoulder, blue visor dimmed and coolant tracks down his cheeks. He looked at the hand, to Starscream before burying back into Ratchet's shoulder, refusing to move. ::Give it a bit Starscream. He's still terrified.::

::All right.:: Star's comm voice sounded sad, though. Swiftshot had never rejected him before, and Starscream never took rejection well to begin with. He understood the why, though- he was pretty sure the mechling knew his origins by now, and the association was likely too much at the moment.

"I see why..." Skywarp murmured. He reflexively tried to speak along the trine bond but that just resulted in a searing pain in his spark, making the black Seeker hiss in pain, wincing. He re-tried on his comm. ::He's terrified. Was it the attack?::

::Pretty sure it was.:: Thundercracker answered, watching Ratchet work at calming the sparkling down. ::From what we've been told he was found on Cybertron, in Iacon's courtyard living under rubble. Stealing energon from Shockwave until the Autobot femmes found him.::

::Fragging-:: Skywarp spat. He looked longingly at the little one. Yes, his trine knew very well his fondest wish. His /unattainable/ wish. He wanted a sparkling more than anything. Being a Decepticon rather precluded that. Megatron had deactivated carriers and their bits before as an example. He claimed that it was the ultimate weakness.

Starscream could still read Skywarp like a datapad. ~He's thinking, TC.~ he said along their bond. ~Thinking of his dream.~

~I know... Swiftshot may be able to heal more than one of us it seems.~ After several long, quiet moments, broken only by Ratchet's humming and Swiftshot's sniffling, Ratchet turned to them. ::Try again, Starscream. I think I have him calmed down.::

Star nodded and stayed where he was, speaking softly with a hint of a trill in his voice, the tones of Seeker-cant wending their way through his words. Skywarp thought idly that that made Star's voice rather beautiful to hear.

"Swiftshot, can you speak now? You don't have to. I just want to introduce you to....to a friend of mine and TC's."

Swiftshot looked up, or rather turned so his face wasn't smushed against the medic's shoulder. He looked at Starscream for a moment before turning his gaze on the new mech. He looked at Starscream again. "There's no more 'splosions, right?" His voice was small, scared and extremely hopeful.

"There's not gonna be any more explosions. My friend Skywarp made them go back home." That was essentially the truth; Star was just going to leave out the fact that it had been Sky who'd instigated the whole thing to begin with. At the sound of his name, Skywarp looked at Swiftshot and waved with four fingers, a somewhat sheepish grin on his lips. ::Stars are you gonna tell him I'm th’ one who-::

::Not unless he asks. If he asks, /do not/ lie to him.:: Star said firmly.

Swiftshot turned back to the new seeker. "You did?"

"Um. Yeah. I ordered 'em all to go back where they came from." Skywarp said, the youngling's gaze making him feel things he thought had been long burned out of him. He stared at both of his former trinemates with a plea in his optics for help, and he suddenly had a sinking feeling that he no longer /deserved/ such from them. Though....he really /hadn't/ betrayed them. He never told Megatron where they were. He hadn't told that TC had taken Star away while he was injured. He'd just....stayed. That was bad enough.

"Oh." Swiftshot murmured.

"Swiftshot, buddy, can I leave you with Star?" Ratchet asked gently. "I have to make sure everyone out there is okay."

It took several moments before Swiftshot nodded and allowed himself to be handed off. He immediately buried into the Seeker's plating, helm laying on his shoulder in front of the vent. Ratchet kissed his helm, not bothering with the watching Seekers before walking from his office.

Several moments of silence passed before Swiftshot looked at Skywarp again. "Are you magic?"

"What do ya mean, little guy?" Sky asked. Starscream merely held the mechling close, stroking his helm and his back in rhythmic motions that he knew would soothe him. Star stood up and sat back down on a medberth for comfort, gesturing for Thundercracker to sit next to him.

Thundercracker did so, watching his mate with the youngling. "Well, you made the 'splosions go away." Swiftshot murmured.

Skywarp bit his lip. How to explain it....

"He ordered them to go home, Shooter." Starscream said gently, helping Sky out a little. He'd never been as good with words as Star was, and Skywarp gave Starscream a grateful look as he nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I ordered them."

"So you're NOT magic?" Swiftshot sounded a bit disappointed under the sheer exhaustion in his voice.

"Well........I can teleport." he revealed with a grin. "Go from here to there without walkin' or flyin' or anything."

Swiftshot's visor flickered and he lifted his helm up. "Really? No joke?"

"Nope. No foolin'. Stars can I show him?" He gave Starscream that turbopuppy look that always made Star groan, then acquiesce to whatever it was that Sky wanted.

Starscream sighed. "I don't know....."

Thundercracker, however, shook his helm. "Not right now, Warp. We have things we need to sort out with the Autobots and then talk about as trine first... Besides, I think Swiftshot has had quite enough excitement for one cycle."

Skywarp's wings drooped but he nodded. "Maybe later, Swiftshot. I gotta talk to the brass an' stuff I guess." He looked at TC. "Where'm I gonna be stayin'? Please say not jail."

Thundercracker shook his helm in warning, glancing at the mechling who seemed to be on his way to recharge now that his systems had cycled out all the excitement of the cycle. "We have to talk to them, Warp. We'll see. We'll do our best to keep you out."

Starscream nodded, gently laying Shooter down on the berth, one hand still caressing his helm until the sparkling drifted off. "We should go now and get it over with." he said softly. "And it is my intent that you stay with us for the time being. It's for your own safety as well."

"Safety? There ain't anyone here who could take me-"

"Maybe not anyONE, but several someones? Certainly." Starscream said archly. "Let's go."

"Particularly the Twins. I would avoid them for the time being." Thundercracker mused. "They won't be pleased you led the attack that could have killed their brother. They're surprisingly protective."

Skywarp looked rather ambivalent about that. "Um." he said. "You kinda have a point. I wouldn't like it either. I was only doin' what I had to...." His wings drooped. "He beat me. After we lost that last one." That wasn't all he'd done, though thankfully it hadn't gotten to the most terrible things. Just a bit of humiliation and a pointed request that Skywarp had reluctantly agreed to. He wouldn't have been so reluctant if Megatron hadn't twisted his right wing so hard it felt like it'd been torn off....

Thundercracker's optics saddened and the turned hard. "He won't live much longer if we have our way. Come on." He took Skywarp's hand. "Let's go talk to Prime and then have Ratchet take a look."

"He didn't do....that." Skywarp protested feebly, though from the look on Thundercracker's face he was going to have to submit to a medical scan whether he liked it or not. At least Ratchet was relatively gentle and he /was/ good at his job. 

"Prime doesn't beat his mechs, does he?" Sky asked.

"Absolutely not." Starscream replied. There was even a hint of respect in the way he said that. 

"Not even enemies?" he said weakly.

"Are you going to attack him?" Star asked archly.

"Um no, that'd be pretty dumb."

"Then you should be perfectly safe."

Thundercracker snorted. "Watch out for the big red one though. He talks big. AND will back it up."

"Oh, Cannonhead?" Skywarp said. "Pfft. Whatever. Too slow t'catch ME."

"Skywarp." Starscream said warningly. "In order for us to stay here we have sworn an oath of nonaggression. You will do the same." he ordered.

Skywarp arched an optic ridge. "Not to be a jerk, Stars, but you can't order me around anymore. Not trineleader, not Air Commander."

Starscream jerked back as if slapped.

"Skywarp." Thundercracker rumbled in warning, wings rising and poised to put himself in front of his bondmate if he had to. "When one precedes something with 'Not to be a jerk', it normally means you proceed to be just that afterward. And he still IS your trineleader and Winglord. You WILL show him respect, Wing-third."

It was Skywarp's turn to jerk back, and he looked at Thundercracker with an expression that bordered on hope. "You mean you still consider me....." he whispered. He then looked down at Starscream.

"A-apologies, Winglord." he said, totally unused to saying such a thing.

"Accepted." Star said rather tonelessly, unconsciously leaning back into Thundercracker for support. Skywarp saw this and wondered.

"You are trine. We have blocked you, not denounced you." Thundercracker reminded him. "You must stop the attitude. It's gotten completely out of hand."

"I thought you broke it." Skywarp said. Starscream looked up as well; he'd thought the same thing!

Thundercracker snorted. "Please. I just blocked you." His gaze softened. "After everything we've been through, Sky, did you really think you were so easily thrown away?"

Skywarp looked down at his pedes. "Yeah. Cause I didn't go with you. I was........I was wrong."

Those were the words that Starscream had wanted to hear, and so he steeled himself, offlining his optics, and made himself grab Skywarp in a hug that grew tight nanokliks after he started it. His plating prickled in discomfort at the touch but he endured- Skywarp could help him heal too, he sensed.

"Sky...."

Thundercracker smiled, wrapping both of them in his arms and hugging tightly. "Sky... You're an idiot." He said fondly.

This felt RIGHT and GOOD and Starscream felt safe here in the arms of both his trinemates......or one bondmate and a trinemate. "We still love you, Sky." Starscream whispered, and Skywarp wanted to shake his head and say he didn't deserve it.

Thundercracker squeezed them again with a deep sigh. "Come on. Let's get this over with."

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

Their quarters were ready enough. Star didn't want to stay in medbay tonight, not with them all being together for the first time in weeks. He sat alone on the berth, watching the other two Seekers intently.

Skywarp looked like he didn't know where to sit or even what to do for once in his function. He now knew that Star and TC's bond was different- that they had an actual sparkbond, as stupid as that was in wartime. He wondered when they'd done it.

"When did you two bond?" he asked.

"Shortly after the war began." Thundercracker grinned lopsidedly, dragging Starscream into his lap.

"AFTER the war." Sky said incredulously. "Even knowing that if one of you died....."

"Yes, Skywarp, even knowing that." Star said, willingly sliding into the lap he felt had been made for him. "Though I...still don't remember all of it." he said sadly. "You'll still show me, when I can merge with you...?" he asked TC, knowing that the lack of memory of their bonding night likely hurt Thundercracker quite a bit. It wasn't his fault, though. It was the reprogramming. Thank Primus that the patch, and the subsequent work, was coming right along. He felt more like himself than he had in a long time.

Thundercracker smiled sadly. "Of course, Star."

Dark lips curved in a smile. "Soon." he said, meaning it. He'd begun to feel the /need/ to be close with Thundercracker and though he didn't want to rush it, it was beginning to be rather intense.

"Why don't ya remember /bonding/?" Sky asked incredulously. Starscream looked up at Sky and mumbled something; he still barely believed it himself despite very real proof shown to him by Ratchet /and/ Wheeljack.

Thundercracker rubbed his back gently. "Not right now, Warp. Maybe later."

"Why? Stars is the smartest mech I know-"

Starscream interrupted. "Because that defunct pile of scrap you chose over us /had me reprogrammed/ to be his perfect little /bitch/." The human word was far more fitting than anything Cybertronian he could think of. Starscream shook in TC's embrace, his optics blazing. "It didn't take long, and I fought it. Oh, how I fought it. Thus my frequent medical bay visits and the beatings and the rapes. All of it. It happened, Sky, and that's why I am how I am now." With that, he turned his face away into Thundercracker's chest armor and just trembled.

Thundercracker tightened his embrace, resting his chin on his helm and rocking him. He looked at Skywarp, quick to amend Starscream's harsh accusation. "Nobody is blaming you, Skywarp. Were we angry? Very much so. Sad? Just as much. But you didn't know and as far as you knew you had no reason to believe otherwise. However, we're asking you now, as Trine, to understand."

Skywarp nodded solemnly. "I believe it now. Wanna know why? He beat me too......and made me do things with him." He shuddered. "Mech needs to visit the 'racks, he smells like slag." he said, trying to make a joke and likely failing.

Thundercracker's look indicated he had. "Because he's a power hungry tyrant with a thing for seeker frames and a need to feel dominant. I likely suspect it's because his spike is disproportionate for his frame." Now that. THAT was a joke in good taste.

"Was, kinda." Skywarp said, the ghost of a grin on his lips. "An' he's an eight-nanoklik wonder." He shuddered, and then shut up as he noticed Starscream flinching with every word. "Slag, Stars, I'm sorry, I'm a thoughtless aft." he said, daring to reach out and gently stroke a wing. Starscream flinched again at the unexpected touch, and Skywarp looked hurt. /Very/ hurt.

Thundercracker sighed, taking Skywarp's still outstretched servo. "Give him time, Warp. He's still healing."

"Cause of Motormaster?" At the sound of the name, Starscream huddled more firmly into Thundercracker, looking for all the world like he was trying to bury himself someplace safe.

"Yes. Because of him." Thundercracker briefly had a thought and he looked at Skywarp firmly. "How... Did you see Dead End after we left?"

Skywarp nodded silently. /That/ had been a mess. A rather large one. "Yeah. He.....um." He gave TC a critical look. "He paid for what he did to help you."

It was Thundercracker's turn to flinch, the blue seeker looking immensely guilty. But he figured he needed to know, if only as payment for what the youngling had done for them. "How bad?"

"Was in medbay for a long time." Skywarp shrugged. "His team worked him over pretty bad for it. He was lucky it was them, I hear- Megatron would have offlined him."

Thundercracker sighed. "He didn't deserve it..." He muttered. But what was done was done. The only cold comfort was that Dead End was likely used to that treatment from his gestalt leader. It wasn't something to be grateful for, but it likely (hopefully) meant that Dead End would pull through it. "Thank you. For telling me."

"Welcome." This formality between them was something Skywarp didn't want. He didn't know /how/ to get close to them again. The only way he knew of coming together was 'facing and...that didn't seem to be possible anytime soon. 

"How can I be the way we were again?" he asked almost desperately. Starscream didn't move- he seemed to be either oblivious or in recharge in TC's lap.

Thundercracker sighed again. It seemed like he was doing that too often these days. "I don't know yet, Warp. Time, I suppose, is the answer for everything. We have to let it mend on its own."

Skywarp nodded miserably. "Then I guess I should get out of your quarters, huh. I'll, I don't know, find someplace to be so you can be alone with your...with Star."

Thundercracker looked at him. "Stay, Warp. You can take my berth... But if you feel you need to, you are welcome to wander... Though I'll likely call someone to keep an optic on you. For your safety."

"Who the Pit would wanna sparklingsit /me/?" he asked in disbelief.

Thundercracker snorted, the closes he could come to a laugh at the moment. "Should I make the call and find out?" He teased.

"Go ahead, now I'm curious." Skywarp folded his arms and arched an optic ridge. "Though I'm /not/ having my energon out of his finger, whoever he is."

Thundercracker grinned before comming whoever was on lateshift in the command center. A silent conversation passed before even Thundercracker hung with some surprise. "Huh. Wheeljack apparently volunteered."

"The one who blows slag up?!" Skywarp looked fascinated yet afraid. "Fine, I'll give it a shot. If I get blown to bits I'm gonna haunt you, TeeCee." He stood and waited by the door for the inventor to arrive. Wheeljack, huh. Skywarp knew next to nothing about him other than that he was smart as slag and liked to blow stuff up.

Well, they had the latter thing in common anyway.

Starscream wrapped himself more firmly around Thundercracker as Skywarp waited; he actually looked comfortable, and the berth was large enough for them both for once.

Thundercracker was still rubbing Starscream's back by the time there was a knock on the door. He sent the command for it to open and the Autobot Engineer stood outside, helmfins flashing merrily. "Hiya!"

Skywarp looked at Wheeljack with a funny little grin and held out one hand. "So, Creator, can we go out an' play?" he asked cheekily. Humor had always been Skywarp’s defense against the unknown.

Wheeljack looked at him before laughing loudly, only quieting when he got a glare from Thundercracker for his sleeping mate. Even so the inventor still continued to chuckle. "I don't see why not. Hope you don't mind the Dinobots for brothers." He replied just as cheekily.

".....Dinos. Yeah…not claiming Grimlock anytime soon as my long lost sparktwin, but…." Skywarp said, clearly disbelieving Wheeljack’s easy kindness. "Mkay, whatever gets me out of here for now. Black Seeker needs food now!" he quipped, giving TC a wave as the door closed.

Wheeljack laughed as soon as it was safe. "You need food, hm?" He grinned, surprisingly seeming completely at ease.

"Yeah, they don't feed ya well on the other side." he muttered. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. Wheeljack hadn't said anything bad about his horrible jokes. He had /laughed/, in fact. That was more than most people did. "So, where do ya go for that around here? Not the brig." Sky added hastily.

"Pft. Mostly rec room, but I figured we could stop by my lab and grab a cube before maybe going outside. There's a meteor shower I wanted ta catch and document for research on Earth's atmosphere and I figured you wouldn't say no ta bein' outside fer a bit."

"Outside? Sure!" Come to think of it, seeing the sky sounded like quite a decent plan. "Least then I won't be tempted to slag some moron with an overactive vocalizer." Skywarp said, knowing it was going to be hard for awhile at first. He wondered something, though... "Hey, Wheeljack. Why don't you hate me like everybot else does?"

"Hm?" Wheeljack looked up, then tilted his helm considering the question. He shrugged. "Seekers are interestin'. Besides, I know that you know that I know that you do somethin' ta screw up yer trine'll be on yer aft faster than Sunny and Sides would be on Ratch if they weren't dancin' around the fraggin' subject."

Skywarp actually snerked. "Yeah, even /I/ know about that." he laughed. "Yeah, TeeCee's kinda a stickler for rules and stuff, which is odd for a Con but I s'pose he ain't one now......and hasn't been for awhile. Stars....well, you know about him."

Wheeljack just shrugged again. "We're here. Wait here for a moment. Nooot that I don't think you won't do somethin' stupid, but yer a lot like Sides from what TC likes to tell us, so for the moment lab equipment is off limits!" He ducked into his lab to get a couple of cubes.

Skywarp stuck out his glossa; that was totally not fair. He was dying to know just what the inventor kept in there. Hm, he could always go check it out on his own later. He stored the coordinates in his warp-gate storage module and waited, whistling an old song as he waited. This could be a Pit of a lot worse, he decided. He was already getting to go out.

It didn't take too long for Wheeljack to re-emerge with two cubes of energon and several datapads plus telescope. "Welp, think I'm all set."

Skywarp looked at Wheeljack's burden and asked, rather awkwardly, "Need me to carry any of that? Or maybe give us a lift someplace?"

"Nah, I got it!" Wheeljack grinned, striding down the hall with his precarious load.

Skywarp's wings twitched, indicating his doubt, but he shrugged and followed. It wasn't his place to argue with the only Autobot who'd shown genuine kindness to him since he'd arrived. As they walked, he could almost feel the hostile glares sent his way by those they left in their wake. He wanted nothing less than to tell them to get fragged, but he held his glossa, wanting to see this meteor shower that Wheeljack had mentioned. He liked Earth's weather. Especially the thunderstorms.

Thinking about those made him miss Thundercracker even more.....and more still when he recalled that TC was Star's. Unequivocally. Skywarp could have the trine bond but nothing more, which shattered one of his long-held dreams. The teleporter sighed deeply, wings held low.

Wheeljack hummed merrily, the load not even teetering surprisingly as they finally made it out into the open of the darkening sky. "There's a great place on top of the Ark's entrance. A ledge that sticks out and makes a great vantage point."

"Didn't think most grounders liked high places." Skywarp remarked, the cool night air revitalizing him somewhat. It would feel good to fly in this, he knew, but he didn't dare. The Prime had told him he could fly only under escort for now, and Skywarp doubted that Wheeljack with a telescope counted. So he was stuck on the ground this night, which wouldn't help him feel so.....not alone, he supposed it was. Here he was, back with his trine, and he felt more alone now than he did on the Nemesis. It made no sense. He followed Wheeljack's directions, lost in his own thoughts, and nearly teetered off the edge because he wasn't watching his footing.

Wheeljack reached out, seizing the former 'Con's arm and jerking him back. "Careful! Know you have wings and can teleport and all, but you don't wanna go over the edge with the currents 'round here." The scientist grinned. "We'll set up here. Show starts at seven local time so we gotta get these up fast!"

"I was lost in my own mind." he said, righting himself. "Thanks." Sky added, knowing that he needed to get used to the courtesies. Autobots thrived on such things and it would make the transition easier. "What do ya need me to do?" he offered.

"No problem." Wheeljack turned to his equipment, starting the process. "See those wires? The green 'n blue ones? Hook 'em to the color coded pads. They'll record the data the telescope gathers."

"What happens if I do it backward?" he wondered aloud, the curiosity that got him into so much trouble coming to the fore.

"It'll record the wrong data. Or record nothin' at all." Wheeljack glanced over his shoulder, helmfins flashing in mirth. "Hoping it'd explode?"

"Maybe." Skywarp said, meeting the engineer's gaze with a small smile. "I get curious about slag, an' wanna see what happens is all. It just......doesn't always work out."

"You can say that again. One explosion takes down the wall and they never let ya forget it." Wheeljack snorted as he finished setting up his telescope.

"Which wall?" Sky asked. He tilted his helm to look up at the sky. "Where should I sit to see this the best?" He tapped his left thruster, the urge to move and /do/ something not overwhelming yet. The conversation helped. So far, Wheeljack was an interesting individual who actually seemed to take Skywarp seriously. That was a rarity that Sky rather appreciated.

"You can see just fine from anywhere on the ledge. Clear skies helps. Was almost afraid it would be cloudy tonight, but they passed over earlier." Wheeljack snapped the last cable into place and started the downloading, checking things over to make sure they were working correctly. "All set. And not a moment too soon." Overhead, the meteor shower was just starting.

Skywarp looked up immediately when Wheeljack told him it was starting. The streaks of light across the sky, plunging into the atmosphere of this alien world.....it was a scene of beauty that Sky knew that was impossible on Cybertron. 

"That's....gorgeous." he said, meaning it with all his spark. He actually relaxed a little, sitting next to 'Jack rather happily, and he glanced over at his companion with a grin. "Let's have that energon now. Please tell me it's high grade; I could use it."

"Naw. Highgrade is all locked away in Prowl's office after last week's incident." Wheeljack chuckled, passing a cube to Skywarp. "Don't worry, Jazz'll wear him down eventually."

"Incident?" Skywarp thought for a few moments, and sighed. All he’d ever had was back on the Nemesis. Gone forever.......just like his stuffed Seeker. Now /that/ hurt. He sighed again, looking at the sky. "I'm an idiot." he muttered.

Wheeljack reached over and patted the mech's shoulder. "We all make mistakes kid. Don't let your wear ya down. Can't get the past back, but we can make a better future."

"Naw, that wasn't even it. It's something I left, back there, something I had since I was a sparkling." Sky sighed. "An' I ain't no kid, I'm prob'ly as old as you are!"

Wheeljack snorted. "I'm older than Ratchet, not by much, but I am." He was totally grinning under his mask. "We'll get it back. Maybe. We all lose things, Skywarp. It's up to us if we want to make them something material. Lost forever. Or, make it something memorable. You don't need an item to remember what it stood for."

"Why do you even /care/." Skywarp asked, utterly perplexed by this. In his experience, nobody showed concern unless they wanted something. Maybe he did. Maybe he wanted what most groundpounders did- a night with a Seeker. He supposed that that wouldn't be altogether unpleasant, though some part of him hoped not, hoped that maybe this mech really gave a slag. "It's just a stuffed Seeker, looked like my carrier."

"Ah." Wheeljack's voice was empathetic. "Let me tell ya somethin' kid. This war's taken far too much from us already. You're a good kid, I can tell. Made some poor choices, but you're not bad. Besides, Decepticon, Autobot? In the end does it really matter? We're all Cybertronian. Don't we all deserve second chances?"

"I am totally not a good anything, 'cept maybe lover. An' even then I fail at loyalty. Obviously. Or else I would have came here with Stars an' TeeCee to begin with." It's clear that Skywarp regrets this decision, now. He gave Wheeljack an intent look at what he said, though. "I'm Seeker, too. You know what that means?"

"A lot of things, I'm sure. Wasn't into cultural sciences." Wheeljack grins, leaning back to watch the sky as they talked.

"Sometimes I don't even know to be honest." He sipped at the energon, purring at the superior flavor. "Slag but this is good." he said approvingly. "Anyway, guess 'm glad you have faith in me.......cause I sure as slag don't."

"You will kid. Just takes some time." Wheeljack seemed sure of this.

"I am like the most impatient person ever, you know." Skywarp grinned. He thought for a few moments, then asked hesitantly, "Maybe....if you don't mind....I can do stuff with you sometimes? If you don't wanna sparklingsit an errant Seeker 's okay but....." He shrugged. "You don't hate the sight of me."

Wheeljack turned to look at him for a moment and then grinned. "Sure. can I trust yer word to not mess with anything in my lab?"

"Um." Skywarp hesitated. "I promise to try?" he virtually squeaked. "I mean I don't break stuff on purpose, but....."

"As long as you don't take or move anything we're good. I keep my chemicals locked up after Sideswipe."

"I won't steal your stuff." Sky promised. "I used to be in Stars' lab, and he had all his energy stuff layin' around. I never offlined myself or anybody else with that so I should be safe enough." Would this 'Bot be his first friend on this side? Sky found himself hoping so. 

"Hey, look!" Sky pointed up. "It's purple, like me!" He grinned, looking far more like he once did.

Wheeljack turned to look, sitting straighter as he considered the possibilities of what created a purple trail for a shooting star or meteor. "Nah, colors off a bit. Yer a darker purple... Besides, your paint has that odd sparkle effect. Human paint?"

"No, Stars did something to it. It shines in sun or starlight, same shade. I like it." Skywarp explained. "Maybe it is human paint though; I have no idea what he did to it."

"Looks like some of the effects human paint has." Wheeljack hummed, thinking about that as well. "Interesting. Mind if I get a sample? Or should I ask Starscream since he makes it..."

Sky snickered and held out his arm. "Don't scrape too much or I'll cry and you'll have to kiss it better." he quipped, keeping the sparkling joke going. Those flickering helm-fins were definitely a different touch, something you just didn't see on every mech. Skywarp liked unique, and since he was going to be friends with 'Jack he guessed it'd be okay to like them.

Wheeljack laughed. "Don't be going Fireflight on me now." He teased back, pulling out a small tool and scraping away a few paint chips to seal away and stash in his subspace.

"What's special about Flight?" Warp wanted to know. The scraping hadn't hurt at all, and he could barely see where it had been done. He pulled his hand back and sat back propped on both hands, legs stuck out in front of him.

"If I had to choose a mech out of all my creations that really still acts his age, it'd be Flight."

Skywarp /stared/. "You're the Aerials' /creator/?" he squeaked. Primus he was doing a lot of that tonight. "I'm jealous." he said, almost too softly to be heard.

"Oh, not like THAT." Wheeljack laughed. "They're preframes."

"Batchmechs?" A lot of Seekers were made that way, but the Aerials weren't Seekers. They'd been.......sparked to /fight/ Skywarp. He suddenly felt like an aft. "You had to make 'em to fight us....fight /me/."

"Yeah." Wheeljack sighed sadly. "In hindsight I regret that. Ratchet does too."

"What, makin' 'em fight newly sparked?" He sighed. "War...I guess......it makes people do stuff they wouldn't normally do. Like now that I talked to you, I couldn't ever try an' hurt you. You're a person to me. Not like before, you were just......I don't know......a symbol I guess. There's a lot of slag that's said over 'Con-side about what you 'Bots'd do to us if you had half a chance."

"Same here, though I'm sure there's credence on both sides to the rumors. Not all Autobots follow the Autobot credo."

"Like those Twins." Skywarp said with more than a little derision.

"Now hey!" Wheeljack was quick to correct that assumption. "I never said the Twins didn't!"

"Those two have tried to rip my wings off......strike that, the red one DID rip a wing off.....more times than I can count!" Warp protested.

"You were the enemy." He paused feeling there was need for more explanation. "Let me clear some things about our Twins up. Sunny and Sides, before the war, were Gladiators." He began.

Skywarp's lip curled at the mention of gladiators. "So was Megatron." he said flatly.

"Now hold on there, kid. You're jumpin' to conclusions." Wheeljack leaned back, trying to think of what to say without giving things too personal away. "In Kaon, back in the day, things were bad. Most of Cybertron viewed it as the cesspool of criminals and cutthroats. I was no exception. I know better, now. Listenin' to Jazz tell stories puts things into perspective for mechs. Kaon was... bad off. Really bad. They weren't gettin' funds. It was do or die. Survival of the fittest. The Gladiator rings were a way out. Yes they were bloody. Mechs fought to the death there. But once you got there, you had a way off the streets. Nobody messed with you if you were a Gladiator... well much."

He leaned forward, elbows on knees. "The twins entered the rings young. They learned to fight early, survive early and depend only on each other. They trusted nobody. To an extent, I think they still distrust every one of us to some degree. Which is probably why they're still dancin' around each other."

"An' why they won't just tell that wrench-happy medic that they're both nuts in love with him." Skywarp said smartly. "Yeah, upbringing does shape you.......I was guttertrash from the low area of Vos, which means that people like Stars and TeeCee weren't even s'posed to acknowledge my existence." He shrugged. "I met Stars in the Flight Academy.....he was the Winglord's only creation, and not many people associated with him. I thought he was hot an' so I chased him mainly just to berth him, t'see if I could." Skywarp's pale face actually flushed. "Well, it happened an' we became friends, real good friends. TC was an /instructor/ for Pit's sake and acted like he hated us. Little did I know that Stars was already seein' him sometimes."

Wheeljack laughed. "Well, love works in funny ways. But yeah. The Twins are overprotective. They've learned and it's hardwired. You stand as a threat, they're gonna do whatever they can to take you down and remove that threat."

"Not a threat to anyone who isn't gonna harm my trine or me." Warp said firmly. "Swore to Stars and TC that I wouldn't hurt what they have here, an' I /won't/. I fragged up bad enough already. Not gonna do more of it."

Wheeljack smiled, patting Skywarp's forearm. "That's a great way to be headin' kid. S'why I said you're good. You keep that goal in mind."

Why did he keep /touching/ him? Hm, maybe it was because he had the younglings, sparked into adult frames or not. "Have other goals too, y'know." he said with a small grin.

Wheeljack grinned back. "Always good to keep busy."

Skywarp laughed at that, /loudly/. "Slag, 'Jack, if you only knew /what/ my goal is, you'd be embarrassed as Pit if you did."

Wheeljack snorted. "Best friend of Ratchet." He pointed out.

Skywarp hesitated for only a moment, then, before telling him. It seemed so easy to be comfortable around this mech, even though he wasn't a seeker. "Want a sparkling." he said honestly. "Since I'm......I'm not a 'Con anymore, maybe I can."

Wheeljack blinked, staring at him in surprise as he thought about it. "Hm. Well it isn't encouraged because of the dangers during the war... but I think that's a good goal."

"No more dangerous than a sparkbond........and I would tear anyone apart who hurt my bit." Skywarp said, optics flaring with a peculiar light.

Wheeljack patted him. "You and just about everyone else, mech." The shower had come to an end, leaving the sky starry.

"Beautiful out here.......wish I could fly." Sky said wistfully. "I know, I just flew today, an' I have to have somebot up there with me....but.....it's kinda hard to explain really. An' I'm in no hurry to go intrude on Stars and TC.....they need each other now, not me."

Wheeljack clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Well... If you can keep to yer promise, I don't mind you coming to hang out in the lab while I check through this data."

Skywarp nodded almost too eagerly. "I'll be good. Promise. Even if a minibot talks slag I won't use nothin' from your lab to get revenge."

Wheeljack chuckled. "Good mech. Now help disconnect this would ya?"

Skywarp smiled and did so, remembering the directions rather well. He wasn't stupid as most thought he was; Skywarp was merely easily distracted and thought of far too much to stay on a given topic. The equipment didn't take long to pack up with two helping, and the burden was lighter on the way back because Sky insisted on helping this time. "Payment for puttin' up with me." he explained.

Wheeljack had accepted with a good-natured shrug, taking the two stacks of datapads under his arms to the lab. It opened with a silent command and he strolled into the well lit area, placing the datapads on the only clear space and taking the telescope from Skywarp. "I'll put that away."

Skywarp very carefully put both hands behind his back and found a safe place- a very comfortable looking couch that had just enough room for a slim Seeker to sit. He did so, looking around with a mixture of curiosity and awe. Curiosity because he had no idea what half the slag in here was, and awe because there was so MUCH of it. "You......do you even know how t'FIND anything?" he asked faintly.

"Uh.... Sure. I have structure." Wheeljack said looking around before scratching the back of his helm sheepishly. "Kind of."

"There is a stack of somethin' that's gonna fall on somebody's head if anyone runs into it." Skywarp pointed out. "There are seventeen undispersed cubes, three of which still contain stale fuel, and there seem to be at least twenty datapads that are turned on and functioning. You also got what looks like six fingerpaintings tacked to the walls, some cabling dangling from that energon dispenser that looks like you might trip on it, and a dead glitchmouse in the corner." Before Wheeljack could ask, he held up a hand. "Yes, I just saw all that. Have to be observant or I'd 'port into slag more than I already do."

"Erm..." Now he really was embarrassed. "It's structured to me."

"Well then that's fair." Warp said cheerfully. "I'll just sit here and keep my trap shut, then."

"Oh don't do that." Wheeljack snorted. "I can hold a conversation and work at the same time."

"Mkay then. Tell me about you then. I've talked your audial off." Skywarp felt......lonely, though slag if he'd give it a name by admitting it. Seeing his trinemates like THAT had done something to him deep inside......made him feel left out like nothing else could.

"Hmmm. Well, I'm sure you've heard of me before the war..." Wheeljack mused, thinking on where to begin.

"A little, yeah. You were at the Science Academy, right?" Sky remembered something and narrowed his optics. "Were you one of the ones who accused Stars of offlining his partner?"

"Nah, I actually wasn't THERE. I'd graduated already and was making my first, and last, attempt at time travel."

".................is that even POSSIBLE?!"

: "Erm..." Wheeljack blinked in the face of such earnestness. "Well, not EXACTLY..."

"Tell me." Skywarp rethought that. "Tell me please." He sat up, far more attentive than he'd been in any class except one.

"Hm... Well, it's a lot of trying to match up time streams. It's theoretically impossible to travel forwards in time because those actions and decisions haven't happened yet. It's theoretically not possible to go back in one's OWN time stream. There's a lot of equations involved."

Skywarp blinked. He couldn't help it. That was ten times over his head and it became painfully obvious by the look on his face that that was indeed the case. "Um." he said finally, trying to make sense of that. This was like talking to Star.....and that familiarity helped some. "So does that mean you c'n go into somebody else's?"

"Well hey! You caught on fast!" Wheeljack grinned. "Technically speaking we operate on one time stream." He held up a single finger on one hand. "Imagine all our lives, decisions, and situations making up that one time stream. Now, the theory of parallel universes has existed for millennia. Imagine one such timestream existing close to ours, their own decisions and such building it up." He held up another finger on the other hand. "Now, it's theoretically possible that with enough power and a way to rip through dimensions that we can cross the two time streams." Here he crossed his fingers. "And travel back in their time."

Skywarp took a few moments to process that, and a sudden thought came to him. "My warp gate." he said slowly.

"Well, your gate is a perfect example of rift tearing. We say teleport, but really, what's happening is your jumping several SECONDS forward in time. I do know that I said it's theoretically impossible to do such, but I was talking in large increments. Because really, you've MADE the decision to go from here..." He held one finger on one side and moved the opposite finger to a point directly in front of it. "To there. Without anything obstructing you, you're clear to do it."

"I find coordinates and just go. Try not to think too hard about how it works, cause really, I don't understand it." Skywarp admitted. "Stars tried to tell me once, his explanation was different than yours but kinda the same........but all I know is that I can and I do." He smiled at Wheeljack. "You're really interesting, you know that?"

Wheeljack's helm filanges pulsed an embarrassed pink and his cheeks heated under the mask. "Naw, I know I go off on tangents when I get into something." He scratched a fin. "But thanks. You're interesting yourself kid. Outside the seeker thing, I mean."

"What do you mean outside the Seeker thing?" Skywarp asked, frowning slightly. "An' I'm not a kid!"

"Alright. Youngling." Wheeljack was clearly teasing. "Just... Seekers are fascinating. Your frames are the epitome of flight based Cybertronians. Your propulsion systems are complex. They let you get off the ground despite your size, even with thinner plating it should be incredibly difficult to lift your mass merely from your pedes. When you're in alt mode, it makes sense, because you have your wings to carry you while you’re propelled forward instead of up."

"I fly just as well in root form as I do as a jet. Pits, I could take /you/ up with me if I held on to you." Skywarp said, knowing that he could. "I'm the second-best flier Cybertron ever sparked." he said with obvious pride.

Wheeljack's optics lit up in sudden eager curiosity. "You could take me up with you?"

"Yeah. You wanna?" Skywarp asked, optics alight. Maybe he COULD go flying tonight!

"Hmmmm... Would be interesting to document. Been flying in Skyfire before..."

"Okay, I am a way better flier than that old shuttle." Skywarp said, snorting. "An' you can't fly IN me." He reconsidered that, his cheeks flaming abruptly. "Okay so that isn't accurate but you KNOW what I meant, you cannot RIDE in me......pits it still sounds horrible...I have to hold onto you I mean!"

Wheeljack was in hysterics by this point, doubled over and holding onto the edge of the counter to keep from falling on his face.

Skywarp flicked his wings at Wheeljack but couldn't bring himself to actually get upset about it- it /had/ been funny and Warp had never had a problem laughing at himself. "Frag you." he said good-naturedly. "You wanna fly or not, Flashy?"

The laughter cut off on a choke of surprise as he Wheeljack's helm whipped around to stare at him. "No. No, that name is outlawed!" He giggled.

"Hm, that one's outlawed. Then I guess I can call ya Blinky, or maybe Lights, or if you really don't like it I'll just call ya Jackie or somethin'."

Wheeljack snorted. "'Jackie is just fine. Everyone else calls me it." His lights flashed merrily. "Hope it's not too dark to get proper information..."

Skywarp snorted. "If you're like every other sciencebot I've met you've modded yourself for better sensors just /so/ you can gather info during weird times." Skywarp grinned, giving a courtly bow dragged from the old days in Vos. "With me, to the stars!" he said in a fake accent.

Wheeljack blinked in some confusion. "What?"

Skywarp froze, still half bent over Wheeljack's hand. He felt like a colossal fool in that moment. "Um." he muttered. "Just me being an idiot. Come on, I guess."

"No no! What was that?" Wheeljack asked, interested in the flourish.

Skywarp quirked an optic ridge. "Somethin' we did back in Vos before it got blown to the Pit. Court stuff. Stars taught me after he became Winglord so I didn't disgrace him." The black Seeker grinned. "Seeker customs aren't dead, just.....inactive."

"Hmmm." Wheeljack considered that. He made a note to ask Skyfire. "Lead the way."

"I do that, we get lost. You gotta show me at least once how to get out of the Ark unless you let me 'port." Sky explained easily.

"Oh right." Wheeljack grinned. "This way then."

Skywarp followed, feeling oddly at ease the more time they spent together. He wondered why. They didn't really have much in common. 'Jack /did/ remind him of Starscream in a way....the way Star had been a long time ago, anyway. He had a wicked sense of humor and was smart, probably too smart to be wasting his time on Skywarp. He sighed, wings twitching, and decided just to enjoy the time he was having before he had to go back to what was very obviously Star and TC's quarters.

It didn't take long before they were back outside in the cool night air, standing well clear of the Ark so that Sky had adequate airspace to take off. He looked slightly down at the inventor, a wry grin on his face. "Promise not to drop you." he said, opening his arms almost as if asking for a hug. In actuality, that was just the easiest way to get a secure grip.

Wheeljack was alight with excitement as he stepped forward into the Seeker's reach. "Show me what you got, Seeker."

"Challenging me, are you?" Skywarp said with another huge grin. "Fine." He wrapped his arms around Wheeljack, shifting so that he could bear his weight easily. Once he knew they were secure he fired up his thrusters and took off straight up. He wasn't moving as fast as he normally could, not yet anyway- he knew he had to get up to speed with the extra weight. He thanked Primus that he was getting /good/ fuel now; if not, he'd have never been able to keep this up for too long. 

It felt oddly good to be close to someone, even someone who didn't know how much comfort he was really getting out of it. 

::Hold on tight!:: Warp crowed before taking them in a spiraling loop.

Wheeljack yelped, clinging tightly and staring at the quickly disappearing ground with wide optics. Holy frag that was an odd feeling!

::Won't drop you. Relax, this is /fun/!:: Skywarp said, almost soothingly. He stuck to normal flight instead of the silly tricks for a bit so that the inventor could get used to the feeling of being in the sky. The longer they flew, the /easier/ it was to keep hold of him it seemed, and Skywarp found himself enjoying himself quite a bit. ::Now. What kinda readings did ya want, Jackie?:: He pinged him with the normal influx of information that Skywarp continually received while flying, wondering if that was enough.

::Uh, well...:: He opens the transfer, clinging even tighter with added excitements. These readings were incredible! The possibilities, the advantages! ::This! This is amazing!::

::Flight is the essence of what it means to be a Seeker.:: Skywarp revealed, and he almost, almost felt like Wheeljack might just understand, unlike most grounders. ::We're at home here. Even under this alien sky, it belongs to me in this moment....and I'm sharing it with you cause I want to.:: Skywarp held him closer in preparation for a diving spiral through a cloud, whooping his absolute joy at the /freedom/ he felt.

Wheeljack screamed, exhilarated and terrified all at once. His voice was stolen by the wind and he clung to Skywarp like a lifeline.

He didn't sense true fear in the elder mech's field, only the ambivalence that came from doing something unknown and more than a little dangerous. He sent a wave of reassurance through his own, knowing it would carry over due to their closeness, and steadied them on a warm air current high above the ground. ::Ready to land yet?:: Sky teased.

Wheeljack was practically wrapped around Skywarp by this point. ::.... Maybe a little.:: He admitted thinly.

::No problem. This /is/ your first flight.:: Skywarp said as he slowly lowered them both to the ground. Once he'd landed them without even a bounce, he kept hold of Wheeljack's arm- his equilibrium would likely be screwy for a little while after that, since grounder processors really weren't made for the sort of speeds they'd just accomplished. 

"Did you like it? Um, I mean, did you get what you were lookin' for?"

Wheeljack wobbled in place, knees shaking. "Uh... yeah. Yeah I think I did."

"Lemme help you back to your quarters......or do you 'charge in the lab?" Skywarp asked. "It's late, you prob'ly need your rest for tomorrow." He scratched his own helm in slight embarrassment, offering his arm for balance and support.

Wheeljack letting go wasn't really an option. He knew that if he did he'd be flat on his aft. "No time for recharge! To the lab!"

Skywarp frowned. "But don't you have duty or some slag tomorrow?" It really wasn't his place to argue it, though, and he /still/ wasn't ready to face his trine yet, so he helped Wheeljack along, curious as to what, exactly, was so important to delay recharge. "You need my help for this too?"

"If you want to help." Wheeljack was muttering calculations to himself as he walked on his own, striding down the hall to his lab. "Come on Skywarp! We have a lot of work   
to do!"

\----------

"Skywarp has been oddly absent as of late." Thundercracker noted to his bondmate on another medbay visit. Swiftshot was seated in his customary seat on Thundercracker's lap for these visits. "I wonder where he's getting off to. Not in the brig so he isn't causing trouble..."

"He's avoiding us." Starscream said. "And I'm not sure why." He looked down at the sparkling on Thundercracker's lap. "Have you seen the other Seeker lately, Shooter?" Star was waiting for Ratchet's verdict on his final repairs- he was sick and tired of coming here every third day to check on them. He felt /fine/, he insisted. 

Thundercracker refused to let him skip appointments, though, and since his bondmate was big enough to drag him into medbay if necessary, Starscream went. He complained, but he went.

"Nuh uh." Swiftshot muttered absently, glossa between his denta as he drew on the artpad he carried everywhere with him. "Ratchet talks 'bout him helpin' 'Jack though..."

".....Wheeljack?" Star wondered aloud. "How in the frag could /Skywarp/ help with /him/ unless it's as a test dummy?" He forestalled the glare he knew he'd get from TC by waving it away. "That was mostly a joke, Thundercracker, I know that Sky's useful even in a lab." The tricolor Seeker frowned. He didn't want Warp to think he was unwelcome, even though things were still pretty strained. They hadn't renewed the trine bond....Pits, Star and TC hadn't renewed theirs either and Starscream rather thought that Thundercracker deserved that first.

Thundercracker still frowned at him. "Star, I really think th-"

"YES YES YES!" Thundercracker was cut off by an excited Wheeljack who came bursting into the medbay, Skywarp hot on his heels looking for all the world like a youngling who was getting the biggest goodie from the store. The inventor spun Ratchet around, ducking a swipe from his wrench. "WE'VE FIGURED IT OUT!"

Starscream stared at Wheeljack as if he'd lost his slagging mind. He turned to his wingmate. "Skywarp, what in the blazing Pits."

"Let him tell it, let him, it's HIS discovery an' he worked for it!" Warp said, excited.

"I CAN FLY!" Wheeljack cried, helm fins flashing merrily. He paused as the room fells silent. He corrected himself. "Er, rather, I can glide. Check this out!" He turned and activated a switch, a pair of gliding wings springing from the pack strapped to his back. "We haven't tested it yet, but the propulsion system will get me high in the air and let me glide!"

Skywarp beamed. It had been data gathered from him, along with nightly trips into the sky that had allowed Wheeljack to get used to the idea and then put it into practice. "Yup, he can. Not as good as me but he can!" Warp confirmed.

Ratchet stared at his friend. "Why in the name of Primus would you want to fly?" Starscream wondered the same thing as he gave Skywarp a significant look. "Just how much time have you /spent/ in that lab, Sky?"

"Oh, most of it, been 'chargin' there too." he said cheerfully.

Ratchet smacked them both. Hard. "You glitches! It's bad enough I have to drag WHEELJACK out of there, but I will not be worrying about you as well! YOU!" He jabbed the wrench in Wheeljack's face. "I don't know what's possessed you to take risks that are SIDESWIPE stupid worthy, but you will take that thing off right now!"

"Raaaaaaaaaaaatchet!" Skywarp whined. "It's safe, I fly with him an' won't drop him, honest, swear to Primus and we're gonna TEST it tonight after the sun goes down!" He rubbed the dent in his helm as Starscream laughed helplessly, actually having to lean on TC to hold himself up.

Thundercracker was staring incredulously at them, Swiftshot in complete awe. "He'd be shot out of the air in a nanoklik."

"I'm gonna teach him aerial maneuvers, TeeCee." Skywarp said, and that made Starscream start laughing all over again, rolling almost helplessly on the berth. "Oh Primus." the former SIC gasped. "You're killing me, Sky."

"I'm not joking, Stars." Skywarp said flatly, feeling oddly protective over his friend. "He wants to fly. I'm gonna help."

"Ah, who cares if I'm GOOD at them." Wheeljack said cheerfully, rubbing at his own dented helm. "I'm having fun and flying! This is breakthrough science! Imagine what gliding in silently could mean for our Ops mechs!"

Skywarp nodded silently, backing his newest friend up in this. Starscream just stared between them, then shook his head.

"Sky, if it makes you happy." he said indulgently.

"It does." *And it keeps me out of your way.* he thought silently. His wings spoke what his lips did not, though.

Thundercracker frowned, definitely planning something himself. Wheeljack continued to chatter at Ratchet for several moments before rushing for the med door. "You coming, Sky?"

"Yep!" Skywarp grinned, nodding to his trinemates distractedly before following Wheeljack out, hot on his heels.

Starscream stared at the place where they both had stood. "I......don't /even/, Thundercracker." he said, not sure what was going on in the least.

Thundercracker blinked. "What?" He asked innocently as a grumbling Ratchet began looking over his bondmate. Swiftshot looked up at them hopeful.

"I wanna fly!"

"Only if your brothers...and Ratchet....allow it. Only then will I or TC take you into the sky." Starscream said, sitting still so that Ratchet could finish his examination. "Am I fixed /yet/?" he asked, grumbling good-naturedly.

"I don't get a pack like 'Jack's?" He asked disappointed.

Thundercracker shook his helm profusely. "Pit no!"

"No." Star agreed. "Absolutely not. If Primus had intended for you to fly unassisted he would have sparked you with wings."

The youngling deflated pitifully, drooping in Thundercracker's lap. Thundercracker fought the immediate reaction to give into the youngling's will.

"If you get permission you can still fly with one of us." Starscream said. "Though not if you pout that way. That is decidedly unbecoming."

"I'm not pouting!" He sulked, little arms crossed and looking... too much like his older brothers.

Thundercracker rolled his optics and glanced at the door to the medbay, fidgeting. Primus he REALLY wanted to know just what Skywarp was getting up to...

Starscream gave Ratchet another Look. "Well?" Carefully keeping hold of his emotional state and even hiding the comm from their bond, he sent Ratchet a very private comm. ::I need to know this, Ratch. Is it safe. Physically and with sparks. For when I'm ready.:: After he sent that he glanced at TC again.

"What are you planning, Thundercracker?"

Ratchet glanced at him. ::Not yet. Your spark is still healing. Physically, your all checked out, but... I don't suggest it so soon after repairs. The chances of you hurting YOURSELF are high, much less having another mech shove their spike in you.::

"Nothing..." Thundercracker muttered, distracted.

Starscream winced. ::Slaggit, Ratchet, it's not even /for/ me that I ask!:: He left it at that, though, and eyed his mate.

"Pitscrap." he pronounced. "TC, you have /never/ been able to lie to me so I don't suggest you start now."

::Maybe not, but I'm telling you FOR you, idiot! Regression is often far worse than the original fall.:: The medic said sternly.

"I'm not..." Not necessarily. Not something he could talk about here.

"Tell me later then, Thunder," Star asked, curious. He replied to Ratchet as well ::I don't think I'd regress, he would NEVER harm me in that way!:: Star insisted. Though.....how would he react if Star /did/, as the humans said, freaked out.

::Regardless, as your physician, my answer is still no. I'm sure if you spoke with Smokescreen his would be as well... And remember Star, it's not just when YOU'RE ready. He has to be ready as well.::

Thundercracker smiled. "Of course, Star."

::Frag you, I hate it when you're right.:: Star commed, defeated in this yet again. :I just....:: Starscream sighed audibly and forced himself to drop the subject before its topic became known. "Three days?" he asked aloud in resignation.

"I think we can stretch it to a week this time." Ratchet replied. No, he was not smug about getting his way... no, wait. Yes he was. "Come on Swiftshot, let him up. We need to check your mineral count. And your optics."

"Oh goodie, a whole week." Star said sourly, standing up and reaching for Thundercracker's hand. "You. You are coming with me while Shooter gets /his/ checkup." he ordered imperiously, the grin on his lips turning the 'order' into teasing.

Thundercracker snorted, lifting the still sulking youngling from his lap and handing him to Ratchet. "Yes, sir." He grinned, twining his hand with Starscream's.

"At least /someone/ respects me." Star said sweetly, pulling his bondmate outside of medbay by the hand. He walked them the short distance to their quarters, and as soon as the door was safely closed behind them he raised both optic ridges, pushing Thundercracker down on the chair so that /he/ had a place to sit. "All right, spill." he demanded, arranging himself in the larger Seeker's lap for comfort.

Thundercracker, finding nowhere to escape to, grinned and tugged him closer. "I was just thinking... We need to talk. As trine. I'm glad Skywarp is getting along with someone, but... their crazy engineer? And you're right. He is avoiding us."

"Why would he avoid us?" Star asked, laying his head on a broad shoulder. He figured he might as well; this was as close as he could get for now and maybe for awhile, and he'd gotten so he enjoyed the closeness at least with him. "And the idea of Skywarp and fragging /Wheeljack/.....that is /scary/ in the terms of sheer destructive power." Star smirked.

"Luckily it seems to be remaining in the realms of friendship... though even that is dangerous. From what we know of Skywarp... he probably feels awkward."

“Actually, he’s probably happier than Pit to be someplace where all the explosives are.” Starscream said archly. 

“No, Star. There was something different than that. Skywarp has a purpose now. A purpose that doesn’t include us.” Thundercracker said introspectively. 

Starscream’s wings twitched. “And that’s a bad thing? Wheeljack isn’t using him as a lab rat, is he?” The human term was just too appropriate.

“No, I don’t believe so. I think it’s something far different…at least on Skywarp’s part. We need to watch them, though. There’s a chance..” Thundercracker stopped.

“A chance of what?” Starscream demanded.

“Don’t worry about it, Star.” 

“The Pit I won’t. What are you talking about?” Starscream stood and crossed his arms over his glass and stared.

“A chance that Skywarp could be clinging to Wheeljack out of a desire to not be alone.” Thundercracker finally said.


	12. Update, not actual work!

Just letting my readers know I'm not dead, I'm actually writing this still. I'll erase and post actual content when I finish it.

<3 you all!


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